Abu Ghraib - 1995
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James Joyner | Friday, May 14, 2004 |
WSJ’s Daniel Henninger offers some perspective in his piece, Want a Different Abu Ghraib Story? Try This One.
As perfect justice, the story in fact begins in Abu Ghraib prison, in 1995. With Iraq’s economy in a tailspin, Saddam arrested nine Iraqi businessmen to scapegoat them as dollar traders. They got a 30-minute “trial,” and were sentenced, after a year’s imprisonment, to have their right hands surgically cut off at Abu Ghraib prison.The amputations were performed, over two days, by a Baghdad anesthesiologist, a surgeon and medical staff. We know this because Saddam had a videotape made of each procedure. He had the hands brought to him in formalin and then returned to Abu Ghraib. Oh, one more thing: The surgeon carved an X of shame into the forehead of each man. And the authorities charged the men $50.
A gruesome story, to be sure. It doesn’t, of course, excuse the abuses committed by a few. It is, however, a pretty useful reminder of what our soldiers in Iraq have accomplished.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia.
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- Dummocrats.com linked with Want a Different Abu Ghraib Story? Try This One - Circa 1995 (outside the beltway)
On some level, I know that we needed prison facilities, and Abu Ghraib was what was available. But the symbolism of using it was absolutely awful.
I often think U.S. troops should have demolished the prison instead of turning it into a detention facility.
--|PW|--
Yep. Although they pointed out on Fox Special Report last night that the administration asked for several million to build new prisons in Iraq and Congress balked.
Which part of Congress?
The "I voted against it after I voted for it" part, I'm guessing...
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