US military accused of having secret jails
October 15, 2010, Friday
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Print Edition
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A NEW report from a United States foundation details allegations of detainee abuse as recently as this year from Afghans who say they were held at a secret jail inside the main American military base in Afghanistan.
The US military has long operated a facility to detain those captured in Afghan operations at Bagram Air Field. But some former detainees have alleged for years they were held at a smaller, more isolated location at the base, dubbed the "Black Jail."
The military yesterday denied it ran any such hidden jails and said that all detention facilities are held to the same strict standards of conduct, consistent with US law, Defense °?Department policy and Common Article III of the Geneva Conventions.
The report released yesterday by the New York-based Open Society Foundations, a grant-making and policy organization, lists a host of accusations of mistreatment at the alleged site. Former detainees said they were exposed to excessive cold and light, not given enough food or blankets, deprived of sleep and kept from °?practicing their religion.
If the allegations prove true, they could tarnish the push for detention reform by President Barack Obama. His administration has ushered in improvements in detainee conditions in Afghanistan although it has been °?unable to deliver on a campaign promise to close the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
The US military has long operated a facility to detain those captured in Afghan operations at Bagram Air Field. But some former detainees have alleged for years they were held at a smaller, more isolated location at the base, dubbed the "Black Jail."
The military yesterday denied it ran any such hidden jails and said that all detention facilities are held to the same strict standards of conduct, consistent with US law, Defense °?Department policy and Common Article III of the Geneva Conventions.
The report released yesterday by the New York-based Open Society Foundations, a grant-making and policy organization, lists a host of accusations of mistreatment at the alleged site. Former detainees said they were exposed to excessive cold and light, not given enough food or blankets, deprived of sleep and kept from °?practicing their religion.
If the allegations prove true, they could tarnish the push for detention reform by President Barack Obama. His administration has ushered in improvements in detainee conditions in Afghanistan although it has been °?unable to deliver on a campaign promise to close the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
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