Sarge Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 Why anyone would be worried about his rights is beyond me. And shouldn't the red cresent be doing this? Red Cross Wants Right to Visit Saddam Mon Dec 15,12:11 PM ET By JONATHAN FOWLER, Associated Press Writer GENEVA - The international Red Cross said Monday it considers Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) a prisoner of war and wants U.S. authorities to allow it to visit the ousted Iraqi leader to check the conditions in which he is being held. The United States has not formally declared Saddam a prisoner of war, though Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Saddam would be given POW rights under the Geneva Conventions. Rumsfeld, however, added that Saddam's classification may change and he may lose POW status if it appears he had a role in the postwar insurgency in Iraq (news - web sites) that has killed more than 200 Americans. A Red Cross spokesman, Florian Westphal, would not comment directly on Rumsfeld's comments. But he said Saddam "was the commander in chief of the Iraqi army, which seems to indicate that he should at least be presumed a POW." "We expect any state bound by the Geneva Conventions to live up to its commitments," he told The Associated Press. The International Convention of the Red Cross, which as the guardian of the Geneva Conventions monitors the treatment of prisoners of war, has not set a date with the U.S. military to see Saddam, Westphal said. "There's no fixed time frame within the Geneva Conventions. It doesn't say that these visits have to take place within 48 hours. But we expect Saddam Hussein — as any other presumed, real or accepted POW — will at some stage be visited by the ICRC," he said. The U.S.-led authorities running Iraq have granted the ICRC access to other captured members of Saddam's former regime, including those on the U.S. "most-wanted list." The neutral Swiss-based agency, which prides itself on its discretion, has not revealed the details of their detention. It has also never publicly named any of the senior figures it has visited. It has also been allowed to pay visits to the 660 prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, a U.S. Navy (news - web sites) base in Cuba. Washington calls those prisoners "enemy combatants" not POWs. That classification has raised criticism from the ICRC because the detainees are held without charge or trial. Saddam has been undergoing interrogation in an unknown location in Iraq, according to U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Mark Hertling of the 1st Armored Division. U.S. officials are pressing for intelligence on the insurgency that has taken the lives of nearly 200 American soldiers. Hertling said Monday the questioning of Saddam and documents found on him have led to the arrest of several prominent regime figures. Westphal said while the Geneva Conventions allow captors to interrogate POWs, the prisoners do not have to answer questions. They are only obliged to give the information familiar from movies — name, rank and serial number. Westphal said nothing in the Geneva Conventions stops POWs from being tried for war crimes or regular offenses, although they cannot be charged simply for taking up arms against the enemy. Westphal would not comment on whether the U.S. authorities had violated the Geneva Conventions in transmitting video images of an unshaven Saddam being examined by a doctor shortly after his capture. Article 13 of the 1949 Conventions, which set basic standards in armed conflict, says that prisoners should be treated humanely and should "at all times be protected, particularly against acts of violence or intimidation and against insults and public curiosity." When images of Americans captured by Iraqi forces — as well as Iraqis held by coalition forces — were broadcast around the world last March, the ICRC appealed to both sides to respect the rules. Westphal noted that visits to POWs and other detainees have been hampered by security risks in Iraq. The agency closed its headquarters and drastically reduced its staff following the Oct. 27 bomb attack on its Baghdad headquarters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinInsite Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 Remeber that video of the South Vietnamese officer shooting a NVA spy right in the head and help turned the public's view. Even though the NVA officer was in civilian clothing therefore not protected by the genova convention. My view is Saddam had forfeited any right he had a long time ago, bleed him for info then just cut his head off like a common criminal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@DCGoldPants Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 nevermind, I posted something about the American Redcross and 2 min later, it dawned on me that there is a bigger International One. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackC Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 The point is we're better than him. We will treat him with the kind of American standards the world has come to know. On the other hand if he were to attempt to escape....oppps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OURYEAR#56 Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 Why is Sadaam so evil? The worst thing I've heard he's done is gas the shi'ats. Does that make him any worst than the "War Lords" in South Africa? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbooma Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 Originally posted by OURYEAR#56 Why is Sadaam so evil? The worst thing I've heard he's done is gas the shi'ats. Does that make him any worst than the "War Lords" in South Africa? He has killed over 300K people, you calling going to give him a noble peace prize now :doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggo-toni Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 Let the Red Cross or Crescent go see him; we demand the same of others, which makes this the perfect opportunity to prove our moral superiority Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 OY switch to bottle water, stay out of boston and stop taking stupid pills :doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD_washingtonredskins Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 Yeah, I don't see why this is a big deal. We should allow it to show that we have morals and treat POWs correctly. Just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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