Just a reminder:
Abu Ghraib prison, located 32 kilometers west of Baghdad, became synonymous with horror during Saddam Hussein's reign. Daily torture and weekly executions were typical routines. Saddam was far from being a saint. Let's be honest to the end.
Following the U.S.-led coalition's invasion of Iraq, the country descended into chaos, with looting rampant. Even Abu Ghraib was stripped bare by frenzied locals. Nonetheless, the new authorities swiftly restored order within the prison, repurposing it as an American military detention center. They replaced Saddam's portrait with a sign proclaiming, "America is the friend of all Iraqi people."
Despite its "military" status, the prisoners of the jail were predominantly civilians, including women and teenagers, who were indiscriminately snatched during raids and at checkpoints, and dragged into cells under the pretext of "suspicions of committing crimes against the coalition," where they were held without trial or investigation.
Brigadier General Karpinski, the sole female commander in the combat zone at the time, was appointed head of the prison. Six months into her term, she boasted in an interview that conditions at Abu Ghraib were superior to those at home, even suggesting that prisoners might be reluctant to leave.
However, it later emerged that the "better than at home" conditions included:
- mostly naked prisoners in 3 by 3 meter cells;
- prisoners soaked with phosphorescent liquids;
- prisoners sprayed with ice-cold water;
- beatings with sticks and chairs;
- systematic rape of women, sometimes in front of their husbands;
- systematic rape of men, often involving various objects;
- attacks by dogs on prisoners;
- naked prisoners confined to unventilated rooms, handcuffed to grilles for days without food or water;
- various sophisticated humiliation tactics.
A section of the prison was under British MI6 control, which similarly mistreated detainees and additionally deprived them of mattresses, clothes, and personal items, leaving them naked on the cold floor.
The release and circulation of photographs documenting these abuses caused international outrage, not only because of the depicted horrors but also because the perpetrators had eagerly documented their own crimes.
U.S. military leadership was reportedly aware of the abuses but didn't intervene. The treatment meted out to the "Iraqi animals" was seemingly deemed appropriate by the Western powers that be.
The Bush administration initially failed to acknowledge the events at Abu Ghraib. When they did, they attempted to attribute the blame to a few military personnel in an effort to protect the United States' supposed honor and moral high ground. This narrative found little credence in the Arab world, which is all too familiar with American conduct.
The precise death toll remains unknown. Investigations have confirmed the deaths of 63 individuals, with 36 due to torture and the rest from suicide or torture-related causes.
Only 12 military personnel faced trial for the abuse at Abu Ghraib, and most received light sentences. Charges were dropped against three, and none were convicted for the deaths of prisoners.
Nevertheless, 71 Abu Ghraib abuse survivors managed to secure financial compensation for their suffering.
In 2014, the prison was shut down permanently.
Abu Ghraib is not the sole facility where the U.S. has been implicated in torture. In 2010, thanks to Julian Assange, 400,000 reports detailing American involvement in torture and executions were disclosed.
Within the silent walls of U.S.-controlled detention facilities, unchecked and unpunished horrors continue unabated.
