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Iraq
U.S. Formally Declares Saddam Enemy Prisoner of War
2004-01-10
The United States has formally declared Saddam Hussein, held by U.S. forces since his Dec. 13 capture, an enemy prisoner of war, the Pentagon said on Friday, and the International Committee of the Red Thingy Cross asked to see Iraq’s former president as soon as possible.
This was probably a bad move, and one they didn't have to make...
The Pentagon’s first official statement about the 66-year-old captive’s legal status means Saddam is due a host of rights spelled out by the Geneva Convention on treatment of prisoners of war. "Saddam’s status is that he is a reprehensible genocidal piece of shit an enemy prisoner of war. The lawyers have determined that," chief Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita told reporters late on Friday, adding Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was informed of the determination earlier in the day. The treaty requires that the International Committee of the Red Thingy Cross have access to POWs. Christophe Girod, the senior ICRT ICRC official in Washington, said the organization was speaking with U.S. officials in Baghdad about gaining access to Saddam to check the conditions in which he is being held. The Geneva Convention requires that POWs receive humane treatment, including not being subjected to intimidation or insult and not being turned into a public curiosity. It requires that POWs be given proper food and freedom, be free to exercise their lack of religion and receive monthly pay depending on rank.
Uh-oh. Wonder what Sammy’s pay grade was? A palace a week?
Air Force Maj. Michael Shavers, a Pentagon spokesman, said Saddam was being given all the rights due him under the treaty. "The bottom line is that Saddam Hussein was the leader of the old regime’s military forces, and therefore he was a member of the military, and he was captured. That makes him an enemy prisoner of war," Shavers said. "It’s unusual that you have such a high-ranking enemy prisoner of war. So I think we just wanted to make sure that we had carefully thought through all the ramifications," Shavers said.
But Michael Moore said we were stupid and evil. And here we are following an international treaty that we signed.
Di Rita did not rule out the possibility the United States might re-evaluate Saddam’s POW status in the future, but declined to say under what circumstances that would occur.
We’ll let you know.
Girod expressed hope the United States would allow the ICRT ICRC to see Saddam in "the not-too-far future," perhaps in a few days or weeks. "We don’t have any negative signals that we would not have access," Girod said. Girod stressed the ICRT ICRC wanted the meeting "as soon as possible — the sooner the better," but noted the Geneva Convention did not set a specific timetable for such access.
We’ll let you know.
"We are not upset yet," Girod said.
And we all know what happens when the Red Thingy gets upset!
U.S. authorities continue to interrogate Saddam at an undisclosed location in Iraq with the CIA taking the lead role. A U.S. official said Saddam was "talking some, but not as much as we would want, and not about the kinds of things we would like."
Gotta be a tough, tough interrogation.
"He is only required to give the name, rank and serial number and birth date and the like, but that does not prohibit the U.S. government from questioning him about other things," said James Ross, senior legal adviser to the Human Rights Watch activist group. "At the same time, they cannot use torture or other unlawful means to get information."
I’m sure we’re not. I keep hoping that Saddam is giddy from the giggle juice.
Amnesty International spokesman Alistair Hodgett said the treaty did not prevent Saddam from facing trial on war crimes and genocide charges. Hodgett said the Geneva Convention allowed for POWs to be held until the end of hostilities, but said that might be open to interpretation by U.S. authorities.
Major operations are over but the war isn’t. Perhaps when the last Ba’athist is killed/jugged/run over?
Posted by:Steve White

#5  That's the kind of thing I was thinking, jackal. I don't think that we are required by the GC to wait until the end of the war, either.

But it surprises me that this determination should be arrived at so quickly. Surely we are forbidden to play Old Spook's mind games on a POW. Does this mean we've already gotten everything we can from him? Or does it mean we're going to let the Iraqis do it, soon? Either way, this is a very curious development.
Posted by: Angie Schultz   2004-1-10 4:53:24 PM  

#4  very interesting comment there jackal,hope your right cos it'd be sweet to see they euro fuck wits bleat about him not going on holiday to see milosavich in the hauge
Posted by: Jon Shep   2004-1-10 3:08:07 PM  

#3  Actually, the interesting thing about this is that once the war is over, the Geneva convention requires that POWs be repatriated.

So, while we really do want to let an international court try, we will be "forced" to hand him back to Iraq.

Unless you are arguing we should break international law. I'd love to hear the EU argue that one.
Posted by: Jackal   2004-1-10 3:02:43 PM  

#2  This is rather insulting. Not once did the Red Cross make a big deal about trying to see the captured POW's during the war, and now they're scared for Saddams safety. The even want to see him when he may be responsible for bombing their HQ in Baghdad!

Let the Thingy see them after he's been examined be the Kurds first.
Posted by: Charles   2004-1-10 1:07:22 PM  

#1  He of course is required by Western Mores to try and escape. So he will be issued One (1) Spoon, stainless steel, Mk.6 1943, One (1) Canteen, aluminum, Mk.5 1965, suitable for digging, One (1) Carbon steel file, Mk.3, 1952, for Misc. sawing and the like. One (1) Confectionary Item Mk. 1 1948, Cake Birthday,hollowed.

Signed Receipt Required.
Posted by: Shipman   2004-1-10 9:42:59 AM  

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