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| Afghans see little gain in prison changes |
| By reuters.com |
| Published: 09/15/2009 |
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KABUL (Reuters) - Noor Raqeeb, a former prisoner held by U.S. forces in Afghanistan, laughed when told Washington would allow detainees held for years at the Bagram jail to challenge their detention through a U.S. military panel. His reaction to the decision, announced this week, recalled an Afghan proverb which says: "You can't be a prison keeper, judge and executioner at the same time." "We won't accept an American to deal with the issue of assessing prisoners' cases," said Noor, a 30 year-old doctor from Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province. The United States is holding about 600 prisoners at Bagram, a giant former Soviet air base north of Kabul that it has used as a makeshift prison since the Taliban were toppled in 2001. Prisoners there, some of whom have been held for years, have even fewer rights to challenge their detention than those held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. U.S. President Barack Obama's government said Monday it would allow prisoners to challenge their detention. U.S. officials would be provided to help them gather evidence but they would still be denied access to lawyers. Read More. |
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