ABUSE CRISIS: U.N. Investigator of Afghan Abuse Sacked Under U.S. Pressure

seattletimes.nwsource.com
U.S. diplomats at a meeting in Geneva of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights pressed the group to end the mandate of Cherif Bassiouni as the United Nations' "independent expert on human rights in Afghanistan."

Washington moved to scrap Bassiouni's post partly because the human-rights situation in Afghanistan is no longer troubling enough to require it, said a U.S. official who asked not to be identified.

Bassiouni, a Chicago-based law professor, repeated the criticisms in a 24-page report presented at the meeting. He noted reports that "estimate that over 1,000 individuals have been detained."

Human-rights advocates say the U.S. policies seem to come primarily from the military rather than the State Department. The Pentagon has withheld the results of its own investigation into human-rights violations at its bases in Afghanistan.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.N. Monitor of Afghan Rights Accuses U.S. on Detentions - www.nytimes.com - April 23, 2005
KABUL, Afghanistan, April 22 - A United Nations human rights monitor has accused American military forces and contractors in Afghanistan of acting above the law "by engaging in arbitrary arrests and detentions and committing abusive practices, including torture." In a report released Thursday, the Afghan police and security forces were also criticized for similar actions.

Cherif Bassiouni, an Egyptian who was appointed as an independent human rights monitor for Afghanistan by Secretary General Kofi Annan in April 2004, called for American troops to set an example for Afghan forces by showing accountability for actions toward prisoners. In particular, he raised concern about the cases of eight prisoners who died while in American custody in Afghanistan, and said the cases should be immediately investigated.

During two visits to Afghanistan over the last year, he said, he received reports of "serious violations by coalition forces" from Afghans who said they had been victimized and from human rights and nongovernmental organizations. About 18,000 foreign troops are in Afghanistan, including 17,000 Americans, though only American troops run military detention centers there.



Please visit the link provided for the complete story.