Human Right Abuses of Prisoners at Abu Ghraib

Human Right Abuses of Prisoners at Abu Ghraib

Introduction

Abu Ghraib, a U.S. Military Prison

Abu Ghraib, located a few miles on the western end of Baghdad, was an infamous prison facility, during the reigns of Saddam Hussein. Thousands of inmates were held at one time in the facility. Inmates were subjected to executions and torture along with despicable living conditions. After U.S. intimated the collapse of the vile regime of Hussein in 2002-03, lootings followed. The prison facility was also a target of such mob attacks. This led to the facility's already bare minimum fixtures destroyed and looted. Though, the coalition forces took over the facility and restructured it. This led to the start of operations at Abu Ghraib, as a U.S. military prison (Hersh, 2004).

Detainees at Abu Ghraibs

The detainees at Abu Ghraib, under the administration of U.S. military, can be bagged into three classifications. Common criminals and miscreants, prisoners suspected of “crimes against the coalition” and a small percentage of leaders of the insurgency, arguably, against the allied forces (Hersh, 2004).

Discussion

International Humanitarian Law

International humanitarian law is a set of rules formed to restrict the consequences of armed conflict. The intention is to protect the right of people. Those people which are not current participants of war or have suspended their allegiance to hostilities during wartime. Further, the law confines the modes and techniques of warfare. International humanitarian law is a section of International law, that which governs relations between States. This law is not to be confused with another distinct section of international law that can regulate a State's actual use of forces. International humanitarian law aims to nurture a balance between military requirements of States and consequential humanitarian issues that arise with such State measures. The law is an important mandate of the United Nations Charter (ICRC, 2004).

Rights of Prisoners

International humanitarian law covers two major aspects. Firstly, it safeguards people who are not involved, or who have cut off their associations in fighting. Secondly, it forces States to control their methods in armed conflicts. A constituent of the first aspect of the law, also provide detailed guidelines that represent the rights of prisoners and minimum standards and rules for their treatments. These laws include specific provisions of food, shelter and medical care. It also includes regulations of family time and modes of message deliveries, by inmates.

Furthermore, the law provides guidelines that aim to protect civilians, medical and other religious personnel's who is not part of fighting. Those who have surrendered are also shielded under this law. This classification includes the wounded and sick fighters and POW's (ICRC, 2004).

Following are the rights of prisoners, established under the international humanitarian law:

Physical liberties of the detainees cannot be restricted, except under certain limited conditionality's;

The detainees are to be addressed in their first language. Further charges levied against such detainees are to be swiftly informed;

The detainees have to be facilitated with immediate family contacts as well as medicinal and legal guidance;

The detainees are to ...