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USA sued over records of prisoner abuse $ 25 b US aid for Iraq, Afghanistan
Pakistan may resume
anti-terror drive
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Amnesty
seeks inquiry
More photos of Anne Frank family Diana’s mother dead
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USA sued over records of prisoner abuse New York, June 3 The suit, filed in Manhattan federal court, charges that the US departments of Defence, Homeland Security, Justice and State have failed to comply with a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by the groups last year. Other defendants in the suit include the FBI and CIA. The plaintiffs are seeking records documenting torture and abuse which they said has occurred since the September 11, 2001, attacks on the USA. They said that after they filed the FOIA request in October, numerous news stories and photographs have documented mistreatment of prisoners held in Iraq and Afghanistan. “There is growing evidence that the abuse of detainees was not aberrational but systemic, that in some cases the abuse amounted to torture and resulted in death, and that senior officials either approved of the abuse or were deliberately indifferent to it,’’ the suit said. The suit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, The Center For Constitutional Rights, Physicians for Human Rights, Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans for Peace. The groups said this is the first suit seeking to force the government to disclose these records under FOIA. The groups are asking the court to order the immediate release of records about the abuse of prisoners held at Abu Ghraib and other overseas detention facilities, the deaths of detainees in the USA’s custody and the policies governing the interrogation of detainees in the custody. They also want information about the government’s “rendering”, or turning over, of detainees to countries known to use torture. The FOIA request cited reports that the USA is using the practice to sidestep domestic and international laws prohibiting such abuse. “The administration’s refusal to release these records in light of all we now know about rampant abuses at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo and elsewhere is simply outrageous,’’ said Jeffrey Fogel, director of the Center for Constitutional Rights. “The American public has a right to know what was condoned, by whom, and how far up the chain of command it went.’’ A spokesman for the Department of Defence could not immediately be reached and a spokesman for the Department of Justice had no comment.
— Reuters |
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$ 25 b US aid for Iraq, Afghanistan Washington, June 3 President George W. Bush, yesterday, requested the extra funding to cover the cost of military operations, which have spiraled upward as the US troops combat insurgencies in both the countries. “This serves as a clear, unambiguous signal that while our troops are deployed and are in harm’s way, they will have the unequivocal and unwavering support of the Congress,” said Senator Ted Stevens, the Republican Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. The vote passed 95-0. The money comes on top of a $ 392.1 billion defence spending bill being debated in the US Senate this week for the 2005 fiscal year. The emergency funding, Mr Stevens said was direly needed, especially in Iraq, where the Pentagon’s military operations have mounted to $ five billion per month. “It will ensure that our men and women in uniform continue to have the resources they need,” said Mr Stevens, whose committee oversees the disbursement of funds. “Certainly, the developments on the ground in Iraq make it plain that there is an absolute need to plan for contingencies for our military commanders,” he added. |
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Tenet resigns
as head of CIA Washington, June 3 Tenet, who
also faced fierce criticism over his agency’s handling of Iraqi
intelligence, including a now famous prediction that the case for war
against Iraq was a ‘’slam dunk,’’ broke the news to Bush at
the White House yesterday night. “He told me he was resigning for
personal reasons. I told him I’m sorry he’s leaving,’’ Bush
said. The announcement came as a surprise in Washington, shortly
before Bush headed to Italy and France. He very quickly lauded Tenet
for his seven-year tenure at the spy agency. “He’s strong.
He’s resolute,’’ Bush said. — Reuters |
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Pakistan may resume anti-terror drive Islamabad, June 3 “We are prepared to take any action if the desired results are not achieved through political means,’’ military spokesman General Shaukat Sultan told the media in Islamabad. He expressed dissatisfaction over the efforts of the Ahmedzai tribes who formed a force last month to track down foreign militants in the area after the government threatened to launch another military operation. Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali told a Cabinet meeting in Islamabad today that action to flush out foreign militants from the tribal region was in the interests of the peace, security and stability of Pakistan. He said all the foreigners in the tribal region would have to enroll themselves with the authorities and affirmed that his government would not relent on its policy to eliminate all foreign terrorists operating within the country’s territory. Sultan said: “All the activities we have taken since last month -convening of an elders meeting, formation of the tribal force and now the economic blockade - have failed to produce any positive results.’’ As the siege of the main commercial centre of the administrative capital Wana continued for the fifth consecutive day, the area’s political administrator also warned tribesmen today to produce foreign terrorists and their local supporters or face consequences. Paramilitary troops have sealed off all routes leading to Wana’s main commercial centre and security men are patrolling the area around the clock. Meanwhile, a meeting of the Ahmedzai tribes held today to discuss registration of foreigners and the economic blockade could not reach a decision after opposition of the Yargulkhel sub-tribe to which five pardoned militants belong. Leading militant Nek Muhammad and four associates, accused of sheltering suspect terrorists, were granted amnesty through a deal in April after they pledged not to indulge in any activities against Pakistan or Afghanistan. The government now accuses them of violating the April 24 amnesty deal by refusing to cooperate on the registration of foreigners.
— DPA |
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Amnesty
seeks inquiry London, June 3 |
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More photos of Anne Frank family Berlin, June 3 The centre said the photographs taken by Anne’s father, Otto Frank, portrayed a very personal part of the family life. Anne Frank is one of the most memorable figures of the Holocaust, keeping a diary between 1942 and 1944 during the time she and her family hid in a secret upstairs annexe of an Amsterdam warehouse until they were incarcerated by the Nazis. |
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Diana’s mother dead London, June 3 “Earl Spencer’s mother passed away peacefully this morning after suffering from a long illness. Now this is a private time for the family to grieve,’’ said a spokesman for Diana’s brother Earl Charles Spencer. Shand Kydd, who lived on an island in Scotland, was estranged from Diana at the time of her death in 1997 and had not spoken to her daughter for months. But she told biographers that she viewed the rift as temporary. “Of course we argued. Who wants a wishy-washy mum,’’ Shand Kydd told authors Max Riddington and Gavan Naden. She became a sympathetic figure at her daughter’s funeral, which transfixed Britain.
— Reuters |
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Deuba sworn in as Nepal PM
London, June 3
