U.S. military releases 1,000 prisoners in Iraq

[maddezmom]

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Saturday it had freed 1,000 detainees from Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison at the Baghdad government's request, the largest release to date.

It was not clear if the decision was linked to a demand by Sunnis negotiating the writing of a draft constitution that authorities release Sunni prisoners so they can participate in a referendum and elections later this year.

"I know this is a big one, but I can't say if it is related to anything that is going on," said U.S. military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Steven Boylan.

A U.S. military statement said: "This major release, the largest to date, marks a significant event in Iraq's progress toward democratic governance and the rule of law, demonstrating the involvement of Iraq's government in the effort to provide both security and justice for all Iraqis."

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050827/wl_nm/iraq_prisoners_dc

[knowbody0]

1. yahoo

[expatriot]

5. Just in time for the civil war! nt

[knowbody0]

7. beautiful cats

[Hissyspit]

2. I remember Saddam did that once.

Good for us to do the same.

/sarcasm

[burrowowl]

3. I'll bet they are

pissed, especially if innocent. And how many innocent are still there and their families are pissed and how many pissed plant explosive devices?

[expatriot]

4. I am betting that the one's that are guilty are also pissed.

Considering that their crime was that they were pissed, I bet they are still pissed.

[Lochloosa]

17. I'm Pissed

[Bigmack]

6. Nonsense....

... those folks have had a vacation at our taxpayers expense.... just like those happy campers at Club Gitmo.

Rush told us all about the wonderful time they've had.

They're probably just filled with gratitude and ready to convert to christianity.

[burrowowl]

9. I love

your:

:sarcasm:

[Ilsa]

20. Oh yeah, I bet they dined on delicacies and played football

every morning, got a good education and access to a library, and had conjusgal visits. A real paradise I'm sure. :sarcasm: I wonder why OxyRush hasn't signed up to go?

[NYC]

8. That's what I was thinking.

No matter what those people were before, they are potential "insurgents" now.

[rodeodance]

10. the timing is odd, innocent or not.

[truth2power]

18. That's exactly what that guy Kar,

the filmmaker who was held for 55 days at Abu Ghraib, said on Nightline this week.

Our propensity to sweep up just about everybody creates more insurgents when they're turned loose. Duh!

[bluedeminredstate]

11. Huh?

"A U.S. military statement said: "This major release, the largest to date, marks a significant event in Iraq's progress toward democratic governance and the rule of law, demonstrating the involvement of Iraq's government in the effort to provide both security and justice for all Iraqis."

This has got to be one of the most fucked up, lying, deceptive, assbackwards, intentionally without meaning, silly statements to come from the military in Iraq. It's simply untrue. If they were so concerned about "justice" they wouldn't be freeing 1000 apparently innocent Iraqis who were held against their will and against the law.
If these 1000 prisoners ARE guilty then where's the "justice" in releasing them upon law abiding citizens?
Does anyone proof these statements to make sure they make sense and don't further demolish our reputation in a country we occupied by military force?
Nevermind, I know the answer. It's just the incompetence is breathtaking.

:eyes:

[oasis]

12. Over I0,000 in prisons. 25% guilty of nothing but having been born Iraqi.

Release of 1,000. It's about time I'd say.

[NNN0LHI]

33. Other 75% guilty of having the temerity to want their own country back n/t

[stevedeshazer]

13. Nearly 1,000 Abu Ghraib detainees released (CNN.com)

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Nearly 1,000 detainees at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison were released this week at the request of the Iraqi government, Multi-National Forces said Saturday.

"This major release, the largest to date, marks a significant event in Iraq's progress toward democratic governance and the rule of law, demonstrating the involvement of Iraq's government in the effort to provide both security and justice for all Iraqis," the forces said in a written statement.

The detainees were released from Wednesday through Saturday, with the assistance of the Iraqi government, the statement said. They represent all Iraqi communities and had been brought to Abu Ghraib from detention facilities throughout Iraq.

Those chosen for release were not convicted of violent crimes, the statement said, "and all have admitted their crimes, renounced violence and pledged to be good citizens of a democratic Iraq."

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/08/27/iraq.prisoners/

[hobbit709]

14. That sentence gets me

"Those chosen for release were not convicted of violent crimes, the statement said, "and all have admitted their crimes, renounced violence and pledged to be good citizens of a democratic Iraq."
Not convicted but admitted their crimes-I wonder how much beating it took for that.

[Amonester]

32. I heard the "beatings" (read: the rapes!!) (:mad:)(:mad:)(:mad:)

were done to their children (while they had to stand "watching")!!

Where are the tapes?? Where are the pictures??

Where is the OUTRAGE???? :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[bribri16]

15. Which means they shouldn't have been there in the first place

1,000 X 4 more new insurgents to kick our ass.

BTW, love that photo!

[YDogg]

16. I like this part ...

... "Those chosen for release were not convicted of violent crimes, the statement said, 'and all have admitted their crimes, renounced violence and pledged to be good citizens of a democratic Iraq.'"

----------------

I wonder what their crimes were? Being in the wrong place at the wrong time, I imagine, for some of them. While I am ever hopeful for positive outcomes (how's that for a vague goal??), I cannot imagine that time behind those bars under these circumstances has encouraged good citizenship and behavior. These folks may have been released just in time for the period of unrest that may one day be known as the 2005-2015 Iraqi Civil War.

PS - Is it a "democratic Iraq" just because * says it is?

[MADem]

19. Military Releases 1,000 Insurgents/'Terrists" in Iraq

That is what they might as well have said....those guys will go out there and train anyone and everyone how to get by in American prison camps, and join the resistance just to get a bit of their honor back.

You cannot fuck with people over there the way those nitwits did and not expect some major blowback.

[indepat]

21. Enough to make one wonder why the prisoners were being held if o.k.

to release them.

[ECH1969]

22. This is political to push the Sunnis on the Constitution

BAGHDAD, Iraq --The U.S. military announced Saturday that it released nearly 1,000 prisoners from Abu Ghraib prison over the past few days in response to a request by Iraqi authorities.

The move, the largest prisoner release to date, followed appeals by Sunni representatives to start releasing thousands of prisoners who have been languishing in the jail for months without being charged.

After a meeting with President Jalal Talabani on Thursday, Sunni negotiator Saleh al-Mutlaq said the president agreed to release many detainees before the Oct. 15 referendum on the constitution. Al-Mutlaq said hundreds of detainees, most of them Sunni Arabs, were to be set free.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2005/08/27/nearly_1000_released_from_abu_ghraib/

[zbdent]

23. Hey, weren't the Repukes pointing out that all those still in Abu Ghraib

were just the ones tied in with the "terrorists"?????

So, now they're not?

[MissWaverly]

24. 1000 Abu Ghraib detainees released-CNN

Nearly 1,000 Abu Ghraib detainees released

Saturday, August 27, 2005 Posted: 1200 GMT (2000 HKT)

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Nearly 1,000 detainees at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison were released this week at the request of the Iraqi government, Multi-National Forces said Saturday.

"This major release, the largest to date, marks a significant event in Iraq's progress toward democratic governance and the rule of law, demonstrating the involvement of Iraq's government in the effort to provide both security and justice for all Iraqis," the forces said in a written statement.

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/08/27/iraq.prisoners/index.html

[wli]

25. I wonder how many will be filing torture/etc. charges against the US n/t

[MissWaverly]

28. they already are

http://theinsider.org/news/article.asp?id=0986

Rights groups sue Rumsfeld in torture of war detainees

A federal lawsuit filed yesterday accuses Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld of being directly responsible for the purported torture of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan and failing to take action once abusive practices became public last year. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Human Rights First filed the lawsuit in Illinois on behalf of four Iraqi and four Afghan prisoners, who say they were tortured while in U.S. custody.

The lawsuit was filed in Illinois because it is Mr. Rumsfeld's home state. It is seeking compensatory damages for the eight men and a declaration that Mr. Rumsfeld's actions were illegal."The Abu Ghraib incident was not an isolated event," said Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU. "Rumsfeld bears direct responsibility for the abuses."

[TroglodyteScholar]

26. I imagine now we'll see some kind of agreement on a constitution...

...quid pro quo and all that...

[MissWaverly]

30. I doubt it, remember they have wanted this from day one

They want a shattered Iraq with small states that cannot function independently of our help, so we can continue our presence there.

[bullimiami]

27. if they didnt hate the US before abu gharib they probably do now.

thats 1000 more bush recruits for the other side thanks to w's torture regime.

[MissWaverly]

29. What I fail to understand is the role of our Congress in this

Why has there been no speaking truth to power about torture in Congress,
this is not about pork, business as usual but our role in the world
community, we have behaved like a rogue state, it's unbelievable

[NVMojo]

31. I'm glad the innocent have been set free but why now???

...are we getting ready for a Saigon liftoff?