Hollow Promises
Of all the serial excuses for invading Iraq, the most specious was that we were bringing democracy to that nation. Now, more than four years later, Iraqis have yet to enjoy the benefits of that hollow promise. An editorial published November 27, 2007 in Iraq's Azzaman questions the benefits of the new status quo.
Politicians call for the release of Iraqi prisoners languishing in U.S. and government jails. Mosque preachers demand the same in their Friday sermons. Even government officials make similar requests, though in a different language, when the case of Iraqis crammed in U.S. and government prisons is brought to attention.
Nonetheless, years pass and nothing happens. There are prisoners who have no idea about why they are incarcerated. The lucky ones are those who were covered by a pardon and freed after at least two years in prison without trial.
Iraqis want to know about the measures under which their beloved ones are jailed and the nature of the accusations they are charged with. They would also like to have some idea about the nature of the emergency law imposed on them and the prerogatives of those implementing it.
In the nearly five years since the U.S. invasion, every citizen unhappy with U.S. policy or that of its cartoon government in Baghdad is made a suspect. This is a classic example of state terror practiced by government institutions and (foreign) troops. [Emphasis added]
In other words, Iraqis are calling for one of the most basic of rights, without which there can be no democracy: they want the right to habeas corpus. Sadly, the invaders have been working diligently to deprive their own citizens and others they have "detained" from the same fundamental right. Even sadder, Americans do not seem to comprehend fully the danger this poses.
The Iraqi editorialist, however, does, and we would do well to heed his words:
Is this the face of the new Iraq? Is this the civilized life which millions of Iraqis were promised? In the five years since the U.S. invasion, millions of Iraqis have been made homeless driven out of their cities and towns as they flee the (U.S.) high-tech warfare and the terror of Iraqi militias.
Ongoing arbitrary arrests, hurling Iraqis into jails without trial and the torture and suffering they and their families suffer, are part of a complex and difficult file which turns all talk about democracy meaningless.
...The road to democracy does not pass through cells where nearly 100,000 prisoners are detained.
Politicians call for the release of Iraqi prisoners languishing in U.S. and government jails. Mosque preachers demand the same in their Friday sermons. Even government officials make similar requests, though in a different language, when the case of Iraqis crammed in U.S. and government prisons is brought to attention.
Nonetheless, years pass and nothing happens. There are prisoners who have no idea about why they are incarcerated. The lucky ones are those who were covered by a pardon and freed after at least two years in prison without trial.
Iraqis want to know about the measures under which their beloved ones are jailed and the nature of the accusations they are charged with. They would also like to have some idea about the nature of the emergency law imposed on them and the prerogatives of those implementing it.
In the nearly five years since the U.S. invasion, every citizen unhappy with U.S. policy or that of its cartoon government in Baghdad is made a suspect. This is a classic example of state terror practiced by government institutions and (foreign) troops. [Emphasis added]
In other words, Iraqis are calling for one of the most basic of rights, without which there can be no democracy: they want the right to habeas corpus. Sadly, the invaders have been working diligently to deprive their own citizens and others they have "detained" from the same fundamental right. Even sadder, Americans do not seem to comprehend fully the danger this poses.
The Iraqi editorialist, however, does, and we would do well to heed his words:
Is this the face of the new Iraq? Is this the civilized life which millions of Iraqis were promised? In the five years since the U.S. invasion, millions of Iraqis have been made homeless driven out of their cities and towns as they flee the (U.S.) high-tech warfare and the terror of Iraqi militias.
Ongoing arbitrary arrests, hurling Iraqis into jails without trial and the torture and suffering they and their families suffer, are part of a complex and difficult file which turns all talk about democracy meaningless.
...The road to democracy does not pass through cells where nearly 100,000 prisoners are detained.
Labels: habeas corpus, Iraq War
posted by Diane at 12:15 PM
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