American woman soldier is ‘innocent’

 

By Fatih Abdulsalam

 

Azzaman, May 3, 2005

 

As the case of Private Lynndie England who took pleasure in torturing Iraqis at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison grabs headlines once again, Iraqis have the right to ask what about the victims of her abuse.

 

The American woman solider will have her maximum jail sentence reduced, simply because she has agreed to plead guilty to the charges.

 

The court proceedings are purely an American affair, but as the country’s occupiers the U.S. is legally and morally responsible for the atrocities the likes of Pte England have been perpetrating in the country.

 

While her sentence will not be commensurate to the abuses U.S. guards have committed in the prison, the trial is nothing but an affront to the tens thousands of Iraqis still languishing in U.S. jails without trial, and a slap in the face of the victims of the occupation and their families.

 

Conditions in the jails currently under U.S. protection in Iraq are appalling and the abuse and torture skills the Americans have introduced in them are far worse than those employed by the former leader Saddam Hussein.

 

Pte England was responsible for just a ward in Abu Ghraib and to her misfortune some of her abusive acts were photographed and later leaked to the press.

 

Abuses by U.S. troops are not restricted to major prisons and temporary detentions centers.

 

They are systematic and reveal standard policy procedures which under no circumstances can be carried out at the personal initiative of certain individuals.

 

U.S. troops are turning whole cities into jails and detention centers.

 

In the past few weeks several cities such as Qaim, Tel Affar, Haqlaniya and Samarra were attacked with massive military force.

 

The U.S. war machine has drained these cities’ resources to the extent that the inhabitants no longer have access to the minimum conditions acceptable for a human being.

 

Tens of thousand of families have lost beloved ones and there is no one to blame for their tragedy.

 

People are continuously losing their jobs, property and careers.

 

The Iraqis have less access to food, pure water and health care than anytime before.

 

Whole cities live under strict curfews which may extend to more than 12 hours a day.

 

Many Iraqis die because they fail to reach a doctor or hospital because of ongoing military operations or curfews.

 

We are a drained nation and those occupying and leading us are apparently happy with our tragedy.

 

Pte England is a courageous woman to admit her guilt. Anyway she needs to preserve her youth and enjoy life.

 

But her case is a lesson to us Iraqis.

 

It says that she, the army that recruited her, the ministry that paid her and the administration that taught her are ‘innocent.’

 

They are all waiting for the time to sentence the Iraqi people for the abuses and atrocities they have been committing in our midst.