Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05BAGHDAD2829
2005-07-05 09:53:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Baghdad
Cable title:  

RUSAFA PRISON CONDITIONS SURPRISINGLY GOOD

Tags:  PHUM PGOV IZ 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 002829 

SIPDIS

REL/GBR AUS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/05/2015
TAGS: PHUM PGOV IZ
SUBJECT: RUSAFA PRISON CONDITIONS SURPRISINGLY GOOD

REF: A. BAGHDAD 2760

B. BAGHDAD 1681

Classified By: Political Counselor Robert S. Ford.
Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 002829

SIPDIS

REL/GBR AUS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/05/2015
TAGS: PHUM PGOV IZ
SUBJECT: RUSAFA PRISON CONDITIONS SURPRISINGLY GOOD

REF: A. BAGHDAD 2760

B. BAGHDAD 1681

Classified By: Political Counselor Robert S. Ford.
Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D)


1. (C/REL GBR, AUS) SUMMARY: Iraqi Correctional
Service (ICS) Deputy Director General Nadhem Reshid
Jebur told EmbOffs during a June 28 visit to the
Rusafa men's prison in Baghdad that ICS is serious
about instilling a culture of respect for human
rights within its organization. New employees are
screened and receive extensive human rights
training, and special programs exist to help long
term employees overcome the 'Saddam mentality.'
There are several mechanisms available to prisoners
to report allegations of abuse, including the
Internal Affairs Unit and human rights ombudsmen who
are resident in each facility, and ICS social
workers. Nadhem stated that prison capacity is
insufficient and worried how ICS will accommodate
the proposed transfer of MNF detainees. Conditions
at Rusafa, which is considered by Nadhem and DOJ
advisors to be a model facility, are good. However,
medical staff reported that the majority of
prisoners they examine upon intake display some sign
of 'trauma,' which the prisoners claim is
perpetrated by the police. END SUMMARY.

-------------- ---
INSTILLING A CULTURE OF RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
-------------- ---


2. (C/REL GBR, AUS) During a June 28 visit to
Baghdad's Rusafa prison, Deputy Director General
Nadhem Reshid Jebur told EmbOffs that creating a
culture of human rights within the ICS continues to
be a priority at the highest levels of ICS
management. He noted that there is a lack of
understanding -- both among ICS personnel and
inmates -- about what freedom really entails, as
well as how to meld human rights with the law.
Nonetheless, ICS officials continue to emphasize
human rights and are working to eradicate the
'Saddam mentality' from its ranks.


3. (C/REL GBR, AUS) Nadhem said there are several
mechanisms in place to facilitate this shift. New
employees are given psychological exams, he said, to
help determine their propensity for engaging in
abusive behavior. He also said that approximately
one-half of the six-week course for new employees
comprises human rights training. Employees who were
part of ICS under the former regime also receive

special training and attention. Nadhem estimated
the effectiveness of programs targeting these
employees to be approximately 70 percent and
admitted that some reluctance remains among them to
implement international human rights standards.
Those employees who continue to resist the new,
human rights-oriented approach are either moved to
different facilities or receive some form of
administrative punishment.


4. (C/REL GBR, AUS) Nadhem noted that the Ministry
of Human Rights (MoHR) has been actively engaged
with ICS. Some facilities have embedded MoHR
employees, as does Rusafa, and all have a human
rights ombudsman -- an ICS employee. In addition to
the ICS' Internal Affairs Unit that investigates
abuse complaints, there is a board comprising
Ministry of Justice (MoJ),MoHR and Ministry of
Interior (MoI) representatives that reviews
allegations of prisoner abuse. (NOTE: It was not
clear if Nadhem meant that there is one board that
investigates abuse allegations or if the boards are
specific to each facility. END NOTE.) Nadhem
emphasized that ICS has a very good relationship
with Saad Hussein, who oversees the MoHR team that
is responsible for monitoring prisons.


5. (C/REL GBR, AUS) Prisoners have an additional
mechanism for reporting incidents of abuse, said
Nadhem. There are 460 ICS social workers, similar
to caseworkers in the U.S. model, to whom each
prisoner is assigned. According to Nadhem, the
social workers meet with prisoners daily,
emphasizing that they (prisoners) are vocal in
reporting any mistreatment by ICS staff. (COMMENT:
During a tour of the facility, one prisoner
expressed his unhappiness to PolOff that
condensation from the air conditioner was dripping
onto his mattress. He did not hesitate to take
advantage of the opportunity to complain to
visitors, nor did he show any hint of fear that he
would be punished for doing so. Prison officials
seemed equally nonplussed as they explained to
PolOff what the inmate was complaining about. END
COMMENT.)

--------------
LACK OF CAPACITY WORRISOME
--------------


6. (C/REL GBR, AUS) Nadhem told EmbOffs that the
biggest problem currently facing ICS is capacity.
He worried that ICS would be overwhelmed should the
Iraqi Government take custody of MNF detainees as
proposed. For example, he said, Rusafa 1 has the
capacity for 396 prisoners and currently houses 378.
However, he was expecting to intake 70 additional
prisoners into the facility. (NOTE: MNF's proposal
for the transition of detention operations is
premised on Iraqi ownership of current Coalition
detention facilities and the Coalition-funded
training of at least 2,000 additional correctional
personnel. However, MNF is concerned that the
number of detainees may significantly increase due
to ongoing operations. END NOTE.) The problem of
overcrowding is exacerbated by the lack of a
classification system. Although there is some
attempt to separate hardened criminals from other
offenders, this does not occur in a systematic
fashion.


7. (C/REL GBR, AUS) Rehabilitation programs, such as
vocational training, are needed, but, according to
Nadhem, the space problem is so dire that it simply
is not currently possible. (NOTE: some vocational
training is planned for Rusafa, as well as for other
prisons on a limited basis. For example, 150
welding machines will be distributed to prisons,
including 30 directly to Kurdistan, and last year,
the USG provided sewing machines to the women's
prison in Kadamiyah. END NOTE.) Nadhem pointed out
that there are prisons from which Saddam emptied
prisoners just prior to liberation that could be
renovated to accommodate an influx of prisoners and
alleviate current capacity problems. However, there
are 'squatters' in many of these structures, and it
would be difficult to move them out. Additionally,
this would be a long-term project he said, but a
solution is needed now. (NOTE: Two prisons are
currently under construction. It is estimated that
they will be completed by March/April 2006. The
complex at Nasariya is a super maximum facility that
will have 1,200 beds and house one prisoner per
cell. The Khan Bani Sa'ad prison is a high security
facility that will have 1,800 beds. END NOTE.)

--------------
PRISON CONDITIONS GOOD
--------------


8. (C/REL GBR, AUS) Rusafa is a prison for men and
has a contingent of 16 DOJ prison advisors. The
newer modules, which have recently been constructed,
are clean, air-conditioned, and meet U.S.-formulated
international standards (25 square feet per person)
for space. There are toilets in each cell, and
inmates are issued orange jumpsuits, a mattress, and
linens at intake. All the cells are barracks-style.
The older modules were constructed over 20 years
ago, but their exact age is unknown. The largest
cells in those modules house up to 80 prisoners and
utilize air coolers. Prisoners are allowed regular
access to their lawyers, and male and female
visitors are assigned separate visiting days.
Visitors communicate with the prisoners through wire
barriers. Prisoners are provided at least one hour
per day for physical activity -- sometimes more --
and pray either in their cells or in the exercise
yard.


9. (C/REL GBR, AUS) The Rusafa complex houses a
health unit that employs four physicians and two
dentists. Physicians staff the facility from 8:30
AM until 2:30 PM, and medics are on call after
office hours. According to the medical staff, all
prisoners receive a medical examination at intake,
and respiratory ailments tend to be the biggest
medical problem. However, staff also said that the
majority of prisoners they screen show evidence of
'trauma' that the prisoners claim is perpetrated by
the police. Just prior to EmbOff's visit, medical
staff sent a new prisoner to the hospital for
treatment. According to the prisoner, the police
were responsible for his leg, which had been broken
in two places. (NOTE: In a separate conversation,
DOJ advisor to the health unit confirmed that the
majority of prisoners transferred by the police
exhibit signs of abuse. END NOTE.)


10. (C/REL GBR, AUS) The prison complex is exempt
from the limitations on electricity usage, but still
has frequent outages. Additionally, Rusafa is
experiencing problems with sewage backups near the
food preparation area. Although there has been no
indication thus far that these backups have resulted
in health problems, there is concern about the
possible degradation of food preparation standards
at the facility.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


11. (C/REL GBR, AUS) Overall, the conditions at
Rusafa are surprisingly good. It is clean,
operations appear to be orderly, and inmate living
spaces are generally clean and well kept. According
to both Nadhem and DOJ advisors, Rusafa is
considered to be a model facility and conditions
there are generally better than in Iraq's other
prisons -- especially in the South. While there are
problems, what we saw was consistent with what MoHR
has told us (reftels) about the conditions in ICS
facilities. However, it is unlikely that Rusafa
would have met international U.S. and UN standards
without the DOJ and ICITAP advisor presence there.
MoJ's increased focus on human rights is clearly
evident in the conditions of this prison, and Rusafa
is a prime example of the difference that focused
attention, resources, and experience can make on
Iraq's infrastructure. END COMMENT.


12. (U) REO Hillah, REO Basrah, REO Mosul, and REO
Kirkuk, minimize considered.

Satterfield