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U.K. dossier on rights abuse in Iraq

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON DEC. 2. A week before the U.N. Security Council deadline for Iraq to declare its alleged arsenal of weapons of mass destruction runs out, the British Government on Monday released a lengthy dossier on Saddam Hussein's human rights record in what was seen as an attempt to justify a possible military intervention in Baghdad.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw described it as the "most detailed account the Government has ever published'' and said: "We are publishing it because it is important people understand the comprehensive evil that is Saddam Hussein.''

But Amnesty International and other civil rights groups questioned the timing of the government's move saying it was intended to make out a case for military action against Iraq. In a scathing criticism, the Secretary-General of Amnesty International, Irene Khan called it "nothing but a cold and calculated manipulation of the work of human rights activists''.

``Let's not forget that these same governments turned a blind eye to Amnesty International's reports of widespread human rights violations in Iraq before the Gulf War,'' she said as observers recalled that the British Government put out a similar dossier on the Taliban regime in the run-up to the attack on Afghanistan last year.

Mr. Straw accused Mr. Hussein of unleashing "systematic terror'' against his own people and said the dossier was intended as a reminder of the `evil' nature of his regime. "The abuses extend far beyond pursuit of weapons of mass destruction,'' he said pointing out that the Iraqi people were afraid to speak out.

The dossier, claimed to be based on "first-hand'' accounts of victims of alleged repression and reports by NGOs, says Iraq is a "terrifying place'' with people living in "constant fear of being denounced as opponents of the regime''.

Around three to four millions Iraqis, accounting for 15 per cent of the population, have already fled the country to escape the "terror'' caused by the Saddam regime, it says.

The dossier alleges that arbitrary arrests and killings are "commonplace'' and people are encouraged to spy and report on their family and neighbours. It also speaks of `rape' of women and "systematic'' torture of suspected dissidents.

"Torture is systematic in Iraq. The most senior figures in the regime are personally involved,'' the document says alleging that methods of torture include eye-gouging, tongue amputation and piercing of hands.

It also paints a grim picture of the way prisoners are treated and concludes that a "cruel and callous disregard for human life and suffering remains the hallmark of his (Saddam's) regime''.

Critics dismissed the dossier as a `rehash' of old reports and said it was unlikely to win new "converts'' to Prime Minister Tony Blair's support for U.S. moves in Iraq.

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