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Kucinich Condemns U.S. Abuse of Iraqi Detainees as Acts of Betrayal
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 2004
Amid growing revelations of additional cases of torture and abuse against Iraqi detainees by U.S. and British troops, Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich today condemned the actions as a "betrayal of the principles of freedom, human rights, and justice that the Bush Administration has attempted to use to justify this unjust war."
"Each day brings new stories and photographs of the outrages being perpetrated against a people whose lives, liberties, and pursuit of a more hopeful future have been the Bush Administration's 'battle cry' since the beginning," Kucinich said. "When the true costs of this war are tallied, the price will have to include the savagery and inhumanity that have been inflicted - not just on the people of an occupied nation, but on the hearts and minds and souls of the people who occupied them."
"These are atrocities committed against a people who lived through years of atrocities by a brutal dictator. Now, some are suffering the same fate under the flags of collation forces who are there, ostensibly, to spread freedom and restore stability. What kind of choice are we giving the Iraqi people - the brutality of Saddam Hussein or that of the U.S. occupying army?"
Kucinich said he hopes the recent reports reflect only rare and isolated examples. "I have the highest regard for our men and women and uniform, and I am confident that the overwhelming majority of them are performing admirably under unimaginably difficult circumstances."
Kucinich, who opposed the original war authorization resolution in the U.S. Congress in 2002 and who has made the withdrawal of U.S forces a centerpiece of his presidential campaign, said he is concerned that these recent revelations will increase the risks facing U.S. forces. Growing opposition and hostility among political and religious factions in Iraq toward the U.S. resulted in making April the bloodiest and deadliest month of the occupation, Kucinich noted. "Our troops have been targets all along," he said, "but now, they may face the wrath not just of insurgents and militias, but of the population in general.
"We have to get out of Iraq. That is the mission we have to accomplish," he said, ironically echoing President Bush's assertion of victory a year ago today. He again called on the leadership of the Democratic Party to join him in demanding the withdrawal of U.S. troops and a transfer of peacekeeping operations, administration, and management of Iraqi assets and reconstruction contracts to the United Nations.
"We have to stop calling for more troops, more money, and an as-long-as-takes mentality. How can we commit to an occupation without end? How can we allow our men and women in uniform to continue facing even greater risks? How can we tell the world community that we stand for peace and liberty and human rights when our mere presence in Iraq challenges those very same principles?"
"My campaign," Kucinich concluded, "will allow voters to send a loud and clear message to the Congress, to the Bush Administration and to the leadership of the Democratic Party the price we've paid is already too high, the objectives are undefinable, and it's time for a totally new direction: not sending more troops there; bringing our troops back home."
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Kucinich Calls for Expanded Investigation Amid Allegations of Iraqi Prison Cover-up
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2004
Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich today demanded "the immediate removal and replacement of all military and non-military personnel who played any role whatsoever in the operation of the Abu Ghraib prison" near Baghdad where Iraqi detainees were allegedly tortured and abused.
New allegations today that the International Red Cross was deliberately deterred from investigating conditions at the prison "has all the earmarks of a cover-up, and until this matter is fully investigated and the perpetrators are brought to justice, everyone who is any way connected with that facility is under a cloud of suspicion," Kucinich said. That includes military police assigned to the prison, military intelligence personnel, CIA agents, and private security contractors.
"The allegations of torture, abuse and humiliation, in and of themselves are appalling," Kucinich said, "but now several different sources are claiming that there was a concerted attempt to conceal those activities." Kucinich pointed out that a report completed several months ago by Maj. Gen. Donald J. Ryder, the Army's top law-enforcement officer, concluded that military intelligence did not order military police to put pressure on prisoners to prepare them for interrogations. A subsequent investigation and report by Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba details significant examples and evidence of torture. Information regarding both reports was published over the weekend in the New Yorker magazine.
"Until this matter is thoroughly investigated and all information is made public, how do we know who and what to believe?" Kucinich asked. Until those questions are satisfactorily answered, "anyone even remotely connected with that prison should be removed, reassigned, or suspended."
For information about the National campaign:
http://www.kucinich.us
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And here is John Kerry's powerful indictment of prisoner abuse and his call for action:
Statement by Senator Kerry on the Photos of Iraqi Prisoner Abuse
April 30, 2004
For Immediate Release
Senator John Kerry issued the following statement today:
“I am disturbed and troubled by the evidence of shameful mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners. We must learn the facts and take the appropriate action. As Americans, we must stand tall for the rule of law and freedom everywhere. But we cannot let the actions of a few overshadow the tremendous good work that thousands of soldiers are doing every day in Iraq and all over the world.”
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