Iraqi Jails in Terrible State
Recently, foreign media were allowed to enter Iraqi jails for the first time since the invasion in 2003. The results were less than impressive. The jails are severely overcrowded, with upwards of 5 times the capacity of a cell. Many of the prisoners have been there for months or years without being formally charged of crimes. The government blames it on security issues and the need to arrest so many people as a result. Fact of the matter is, though, especially with the United States there, that human rights concerns and judicial prudence should be at the top of the list of things to protect. But instead, it is clearly at the bottom.
Dennis Gallagher
