.Rights group: Iraqi court falls short on fairness
BAGHDAD (AP) - A human rights group said Monday that Iraq's main court fails to meet international fairness standards, saying judges rely on evidence from secret informants and confessions that are probably coerced.
Human Rights Watch also said thousands of prisoners wait months or years before learning the charges against them in the Central Criminal Court and cannot mount a meaningful defense.
The New York-based organization urged Iraq's government to take immediate steps to protect detainees from torture and other abuse. It noted the court's case load will rise when American troops begin handing over prisoners next month under the new U.S.-Iraqi security agreement.
Officials with the court and the Iraqi government were not immediately available to comment on the report.
U.S. authorities established the Central Criminal Court after the 2003 invasion, giving it nationwide jurisdiction to focus on security-related cases.
"Iraqis who come before this court cannot expect justice," said Joe Stork, Human Rights Watch's deputy director for the Middle East. "Security problems, lack of resources, and heavy caseloads all play into it."
He called the failures "serious and systematic, undermining any notion that the central court is meeting basic fair trial standards."
The report questions the court's standards for witnesses and confessions. It urged the government to bar confessions and other evidence obtained through torture or other unlawful methods.
"Court testimony and interviews indicated that abuse in detention, frequently with the aim of extracting confessions, is widespread," the report said.
The group also called on the government to ensure prisoners have access to members and legal counsel and guarantee defense lawyers prompt access to case files.
Human Rights Watch said its representatives attended more than 70 investigative hearings and several trials at the court, interviewing judges, lawyers and defendants.
MyWay
Late is always better then never.
Human Rights Watch also said thousands of prisoners wait months or years before learning the charges against them in the Central Criminal Court and cannot mount a meaningful defense.
The New York-based organization urged Iraq's government to take immediate steps to protect detainees from torture and other abuse. It noted the court's case load will rise when American troops begin handing over prisoners next month under the new U.S.-Iraqi security agreement.
Officials with the court and the Iraqi government were not immediately available to comment on the report.
U.S. authorities established the Central Criminal Court after the 2003 invasion, giving it nationwide jurisdiction to focus on security-related cases.
"Iraqis who come before this court cannot expect justice," said Joe Stork, Human Rights Watch's deputy director for the Middle East. "Security problems, lack of resources, and heavy caseloads all play into it."
He called the failures "serious and systematic, undermining any notion that the central court is meeting basic fair trial standards."
The report questions the court's standards for witnesses and confessions. It urged the government to bar confessions and other evidence obtained through torture or other unlawful methods.
"Court testimony and interviews indicated that abuse in detention, frequently with the aim of extracting confessions, is widespread," the report said.
The group also called on the government to ensure prisoners have access to members and legal counsel and guarantee defense lawyers prompt access to case files.
Human Rights Watch said its representatives attended more than 70 investigative hearings and several trials at the court, interviewing judges, lawyers and defendants.
MyWay
Late is always better then never.
posted by madtom at 8:15 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home