HUMAN RIGHTS MINISTER SAYS DETAINEE ABUSE RISING,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 002398 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/18/2017 TAGS: PHUM KDEM PGOV PINR IZ SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS MINISTER SAYS DETAINEE ABUSE RISING, SEEKS SOLUTIONS REF: A. BAGHDAD 0198 ¶B. BAGHDAD 0365 ¶C. BAGHDAD 0820 ¶D. BAGHDAD 1378 ¶E. BAGHDAD 1584 ¶F. BAGHDAD 2012 ¶G. BAGHDAD 2255 Classified By: Political Counselor Robert Ford for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: On July 14, Minister of Human Rights Wijdan Salim repeated to PolCouns anecdotes of torture cases that Sunni Vice President (VP) Dr. Tareq al-Hashimi, during a July 8 conversation with Ambassador Crocker, had credited her with reporting to him. She noted that the volume of detainee abuse uncovered in Iraqi detention facilities through her ministry's inspections had risen in the last several months. She welcomed the opportunity to conduct more Coalition-supported joint detention center inspections. The Minister also expressed concerns to PolCouns about the radicalization she perceived among Coalition detainees during her July 11 visit to MNF-I's Camp Bucca detention facility. She urged the U.S. find ways to reduce the detainee population to stem such radicalization. END SUMMARY. -------------- MORE GOI DETAINEE ABUSE? -------------- ¶2. (C) On July 14, confirming information that on July 8 VP al- Hashimi had credited her with providing to him, Minister of Human Rights Wijdan Salim told PolCouns there is ongoing detainee torture at Ministry of Defense (MoD) and Ministry of Interior (MoI) facilities. She stated that she had photographs and sketches documenting the abuse. She said that there was a rising trend of detainee rapes at detention facilities and police stations, and detainees have been tortured with drills and heating units (ref A). Turning to specific cases, she noted that one detainee at the MoD military intelligence (M2) prison in Baghdad at the Old Muthanna air base had a finger detached (ref B). The Minister said that United Nations Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) representatives had given her a list of 15 detainees to search for at the MoI's Khadhamiya 2nd National Police (NP) Division detention facility (also known as "Adallah") at Forward Operating Base (FOB) JUSTICE, and her staff found one of them "badly beaten" (ref C). Minister Wijdan also complained that she has tried soliciting help from the Ministry of Health to provide medical care for sick and abused detainees, but has received little support. ¶3. (C) Minister Wijdan noted that her inspection staff now has unrestricted access to MoJ, MoI, and MoD detention facilities. She said that MoHR has a good working relationship with the MoJ, and the MoHR has never uncovered cases of torture in MoJ detention facilities (ref D). The Minister stated that the MoHR sends copies of their inspection reports to the MoJ, the MoI, and MoD. She receives feedback on the reports from the MoJ and the MoD, but not from the MoI. Wijdan doubted that Interior Minister Jawad Bolani reviews the reports. -------------- TOO MANY GOI AND MNF-I HELD DETAINEES -------------- ¶4. (C) The Minister expressed concerns about the increasing numbers of both GOI- and MNF-I held detainees in recent months, which she said coincided with the Baghdad security plan and the military surge. She said that the current number of GOI-held detainees was approximately 20,000, while the total of MNF-I held detainees was approximately 19,000. (Note: As published BAGHDAD 00002398 002 OF 003 in the first quarter 2007 United Nations Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) report, the Ministry of Human Rights (MOHR) reported that at the end of March, the total number of GOI and MNF-I detainees, excluding those held under Kurdish authority, was 17,565 and 17,898, respectively. MNF-I's count of Coalition-held detainees as of July 10, was 22,702. End note.) ¶5. (C) Minister Wijdan said she was satisfied with the degree of transparency and access to detainees during her July 11 visit to Camp Bucca, MNF-I's main detention facility located near Umm Qasr. (Note: MNF-I has two detention facilities. Camp Bucca is holding approximately 18,000 detainees, while Camp Cropper, located near Camp Victory, is holding approximately 4000 detainees. End note.) She said that during her July 11 visit, many detainees, claiming innocence, told her they intend to fight the government after their release to retaliate against their false imprisonment. Commenting that "Americans tell me everything," the Minister said the Coalition informed her of two cases of recent detainee-on-detainee violence at Camp Bucca -- one detainee died, while the other detainee remains hospitalized. -------------- STEPS TO ADDRESS DETENTION ISSUES -------------- ¶6. (C) Minister Wijdan noted that the GOI recently formed an inter-ministerial committee, including representatives from the MoHR and the High Juridical Council, to address detention issues such as the need to reduce detention center overcrowding through faster judicial processing. She again expressed interest in increasing the frequency of the MoHR-led joint inspections of MoI and MoD facilities with MNF-I logistical support (ref E). (Note: The last inspection occurred on February 21 at the Khadhamiya 2nd NP Division Headquarters detention center at FOB JUSTICE. End note). -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (C) Task Force 134, which manages MNF-I Detention Operations, has implemented a new detention operations strategy to address concerns such as detainee-on-detainee violence and overcrowding. Additional compounds at Camp Bucca have been built, and more are planned, in anticipation of a possible increase in the numbers of detainees. Camp Cropper and Camp Bucca are open to delegations of the International Committee of the Red Cross. These delegations visit regularly, and provide candid evaluations of the facilities that are incorporated into operating procedures, wherever possible. ¶8. (C) Wijdan's comments to VP al-Hashimi regarding torture are consistent with information that she has provided to Post within the last six months. For example, she has previously commented that her staff can identify abuses at GOI detention facilities (including MoI facilities),but has no ability to remove detainees from harms way (ref F). Minister Wijdan also previously raised concerns about prisons overcrowding in January in anticipation of the military surge (ref G). Post will help coordinate the Coalition support for joint inspections that the Minister has expressed interest in conducting. Wijdan is a Western-oriented Christian and no sympathizer of Sunni Arab extremists. Her comments about the need to reduce the detainee BAGHDAD 00002398 003 OF 003 population in order to reduce the radicalization that comes with internment is viewpoint we hear also from Sunni Arab figures already in the political process. END COMMENT. CROCKER