U.S. Holding 500 Youths Prisoner In Iraq

Military Says None Younger Than 16; Rights Groups Say It Violates International Agreements, Norms

(AP)  The U.S. military is holding about 500 juveniles suspected of being "unlawful enemy combatants" in detention centers in Iraq and has about 10 detained in Afghanistan, the United States has told the United Nations.

A total of 2,500 youths under the age of 18 have been detained, almost all in Iraq, for periods up to a year or more in President Bush's anti-terrorism campaign since 2002, the United States reported last week to the U.N.'s Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Civil liberties groups such as the International Justice Network and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) denounced the detentions as abhorrent, and a violation of U.S. treaty obligations.

In the periodic report to the United Nations on U.S. compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the United States confirmed that "as of April 2008, the United States held about 500 juveniles in Iraq."

"The juveniles that the United States has detained have been captured engaging in anti-coalition activity, such as planting Improvised Explosive Devices, operating as lookouts for insurgents, or actively engaged in fighting against U.S. and Coalition forces," the U.S. report said.

The majority are believed to be 16 or 17 years old. In the United States a 17-year-old can enlist in the U.S. army, with parental consent.

The report said that of the total of 2,500 juveniles jailed since 2002, all but 100 had been picked up in Iraq. Of the remainder, most were swept up in Afghanistan.

A total of eight juveniles have been held at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, but all were released from 2004 to 2006.

"It remains uncertain the exact age of these individuals, as most of them did not know their date of birth or even the year they were born," the report says. But U.S. military doctors who evaluated them believed that three were under age 16.

In Afghanistan, "as of April 2008, there are approximately 10 juveniles being held at the Bagram Theater Internment Facility as unlawful enemy combatants," the report said.

In Bagram, a U.S. military spokesman, Marine 1st Lt. Richard K. Ulsh, told the AP on Sunday: "At any time there are up to 625 detainees being held at the Bagram Theater Internment Facility. There are no detainees being held under the age of 16 and, without getting into specifics due to the frequent fluctuation in the number of detainees being held, we can tell you that there are currently less than 10 detainees being held under the age of 18."

Civil liberties groups were outraged.

"It's shocking to me that the U.S. government has not figured out a way to keep children out of adult prisons. It's outrageous, and it is not making us any safer, I can say that about Afghanistan from personal experience," Tina M. Foster, the executive director of the International Justice Network, said Sunday.

Her group brought lawsuits on behalf of the Guantanamo detainees in 2006, and has taken on the cases of adult detainees in Bagram. She said the U.S. military does not release the names of juveniles it is holding in Bagram, so her group is trying to learn who they are by finding Afghan relatives.

"It is shocking to know that the U.S. is holding hundreds of juveniles in Iraq and Afghanistan, and even more disturbing that there is no comprehensive policy in place that will protect their rights as children," Jamil Dakwar, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Human Rights Program, said in a statement. "Juveniles and former child soldiers should be treated first and foremost as candidates for rehabilitation and reintegration into society, not subjected to further victimization."

According to the ACLU, the lack of protections and consideration for the juvenile status of detainees violates the obligations of the U.S. under the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict that the U.S. ratified in 2002, as well as universally accepted international norms.

The U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child is scheduled to question the U.S. delegation on its compliance with its obligations on May 22 in Geneva.

The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted by the General Assembly in 1989, with backing at the time from the U.S. government of President Bill Clinton, and with strong lobbying from then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, who now is competing for the Democratic Party presidential nomination with Barack Obama.

[ranger1948]

A 12 year old bioy beheads a man tied up and you worry about our keeping these juveniles in custody. If they coimmitted crimes, try them as adults and sentence them. Give them to the Iraqui''s
who have the legal jurisdiction to try them.

[minnick8-2009]

The religous right hates anyone that is different from them and they will destroy whoever is in their path with a smile as the bend u over. At least the muslims are open with their hatred of America. Posted by rickmiesse

Actually, I learned a very distinct mistrust and dislike of Muslim men almost 40 years ago on the streets of Frankfurt, Germany when I was stationed there in the U. S. Army. As a young woman of good moral character from a small town in the Western USA, I had never been treated with such disrespect as I was by Middle Eastern Arabic men while merely walking in downtown Frankfurt with friends. I found those men to be lewd, filthy, degenerate, and disgusting. I soon learned if I wanted to be left unharrased, I better find a male soldier to accompany me if walking or going shopping. I have since learned that Arabic men mistreat all women and since I didn''t have my head covered, I was considered by them to be a prostitute. The entire experience was very distateful, and Muslim men have only gone downhill in my regard for them since.

If it wouldn''t destroy the earth to nuke them all, I would say, "What are we waiting for?"

[minnick8-2009]

these young men would fit right in our urban neighborhoods.
Posted by flagShip-usa

Quite right; good idea!!! We don''t have enough thugs in our urban neighborhoods, let''s import more.

[blogwarrior]

This is the world we live in. The religous right hates anyone that is different from them and they will destroy whoever is in their path with a smile as the bend u over. At least the muslims are open with their hatred of America


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Posted by rickmiesse at 06:58 PM : May 19, 2008

Hey CBS! Block this jerk! He''s using an alias of someone and misrepresenting their character on here!! This is IT!!! You jerks at CBS need to do some serious soul searching if you''re going to allow this garbage!!!

[williejammer]

Hello,
This is Willie.
This is my first time and Thanks for such a good website.
Sincerely yours,
Willie Jammer

[rn2501]

As most times, those who have a small cranium think that this is about who''s right. Look and see. If 500 young adults were committing these crimes in your city, you would be in a hissy-fit, calling for more police action. You can''t want one and disregard the other.

[flagship-usa]

...of course we can always bring these young juveniles here to the states and adopt them as our own. After they are rehabilitated, learn our way of democracy and freedom - these young men would fit right in our urban neighborhoods.

[rn2501]

As was told, They will use anyone, boys, girls, babies or old people to continue their(terrorist) ideals. Answer this for me, if you can, Bush supports both sides, is he what we call a fence sitter? Probably has a plank up his ***.

[robroyh384]

This is the world we live in. The religous right hates anyone that is different from them

Posted by rickmiesse at 06:58 PM : May 19, 2008 "

Yep - basically it means that they hate anyone who isn''t a buybull thumping inbred redneck paedophile

[obamawhama]

According to you, anybody who isn''''t a christian is a terrorist supporter.


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Posted by Displeased at 04:36 PM : May 19, 2008
+ report abuse


**********

to his defense, most terrorist supporters ARE liberals which ALL are non-christians

[underdogus]

yes...

[underdogus]

Christian735 well said my friend

[speakinup]

jets5714 - if we were wanting to clean Saddam''s clock just for the hellovit - why didn''t we plant the nukes on him ?

Terrorist supporter. May the fleas of a thousand camels crawl off your momma''s crotch and onto your legs.

[underdogus]

" INSTILL TERROR INTO THE HEARTS OF THE UNBELIEVERS" Quran 8:12

[underdogus]

doesn''t anyone think for themselves anymore? skip an episode of "American Idol" just once put on some latex gloves, and take a browse through a Quran and then believe what your own eyes tell you....

[displeased]

Do you know of a source for your statement on the "Quran gives Muslims permission to lie.
Posted by speakinup

No I don''t know the source. That statement actually came from Christian735. It''s a claim he makes to try and spread his fear of muslims.

[speakinup]

Displeased - I agree that all people lie - it''s the nature of people to want to escape responsibility to look for relief in that way.

The thing that bothers me is that a Religion would condone lying to non-believers. My opinion would be that would be setting a template for the religion itself.


Do you know of a source for your statement on the "Quran gives Muslims permission to lie. As does their Hadith." I''m not passing judgement - just would like to see it for myself.

[displeased]

Also keep in mind speakinup that the Quran gives Muslims permission to lie. As does their Hadith. They are actually permitted to conceal their religion if it means deceiving an enemy.
Posted by Christian735

Who cares? A lot of people lie. I know christians that lie. They use their religion to justify it.

[displeased]

Indeed. And he continues to verify this every day on these forums.
Posted by Christian735

According to you, anybody who isn''t a christian is a terrorist supporter.

[underdogus]

I would challenge you to accept the one true God most Holy ALLAH posted by FloydZepp march 23,2008
I dont know if he is a muslim, but he posted that garbage...