SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Is ICC Actually Investigating Western Powers? Probe Targets NATO Torture and Abuse in Afghanistan
International Criminal Court prosecutors say people in Afghanistan may have been 'deliberately subjected to physical and psychological violence'
Nov 13, 2015
Prosecutors for the International Criminal Court declared Thursday that they have information which "suggests" that U.S.-led, international forces in Afghanistan are responsible for "physical and psychological" violence and torture that "debased the basic human dignity" of those detained.
The office of ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda released the Report on Preliminary Examination Activities (pdf), which includes brief summaries of investigations into alleged crimes committed by all parties to the conflict since 2003, including U.S. and NATO forces.
The preliminary investigation notes that the U.S. military's investigation of its own crimes "did not go higher than the brigade commander level" or lead to criminal proceedings of any kind.
"It's not surprising that the ICC's reputation has been significantly undermined by the accurate perception that it does not apply to powerful countries or close allies of powerful countries."
-- Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy StudiesReferring to "international forces," the report states: "The information available suggests that victims were deliberately subjected to physical and psychological violence, and that crimes were allegedly committed with particular cruelty and in a manner that debased the basic human dignity of the victims."
"The infliction of 'enhanced interrogation techniques,' applied cumulatively and in combination with each other over a prolonged period of time, would have caused serious physical and psychological injury to the victims," the report continues. "Some victims reportedly exhibited psychological and behavioral issues, including hallucinations, paranoia, insomnia, and attempts at self-harm and self-mutilation."
Based on the brief summaries, however, it was not immediately apparent which atrocities the prosecutor had looked into, though there was a brief reference to the early October U.S. bombing of the Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, which killed at least 30 people.
However, Afghans have long spoken out against U.S. brutality in the country, including torture in Bagram prison.
The report states, furthermore, that prosecutors intend to continue their investigations, but it was unclear whether they plan to press formal charges against the United States.
"The Office is assessing information relevant to determine the scale of the alleged abuse, as well as whether the identified war crimes were committed as part of a plan or policy," stated the report, which also noted severe abuses committed by Taliban and Afghan forces.
Some are skeptical that the U.S., which is not a participant in the ICC, will ever be held accountable by that body.
"It's important that the ICC broadens its scope beyond what it has been so far, which has been primarily investigating African dictatorships. It's not surprising that the ICC's reputation has been significantly undermined by the accurate perception that it does not apply to powerful countries or close allies of powerful countries," Phyllis Bennis, senior fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, told Common Dreams.
"If this preliminary report is an indication that that is changing, that the prosecutor would look seriously at U.S. violations in the so-called Global War on Terror, that would be a major step forward for the legitimacy of the country and empowerment of international law in general," Bennis continued.
The ICC report comes a month after President Barack Obama proclaimed that he plans to leave 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan "through most of next year," despite his previous pledge to withdraw the U.S. military, except for embassy presences, by 2016.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare is the editor of Workday Magazine and a contributing editor for In These Times. She is a former Staff Writer at Common Dreams. She comes from a background in independent journalism for publications including The Intercept, The Nation, and Tom Dispatch.
Prosecutors for the International Criminal Court declared Thursday that they have information which "suggests" that U.S.-led, international forces in Afghanistan are responsible for "physical and psychological" violence and torture that "debased the basic human dignity" of those detained.
The office of ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda released the Report on Preliminary Examination Activities (pdf), which includes brief summaries of investigations into alleged crimes committed by all parties to the conflict since 2003, including U.S. and NATO forces.
The preliminary investigation notes that the U.S. military's investigation of its own crimes "did not go higher than the brigade commander level" or lead to criminal proceedings of any kind.
"It's not surprising that the ICC's reputation has been significantly undermined by the accurate perception that it does not apply to powerful countries or close allies of powerful countries."
-- Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy StudiesReferring to "international forces," the report states: "The information available suggests that victims were deliberately subjected to physical and psychological violence, and that crimes were allegedly committed with particular cruelty and in a manner that debased the basic human dignity of the victims."
"The infliction of 'enhanced interrogation techniques,' applied cumulatively and in combination with each other over a prolonged period of time, would have caused serious physical and psychological injury to the victims," the report continues. "Some victims reportedly exhibited psychological and behavioral issues, including hallucinations, paranoia, insomnia, and attempts at self-harm and self-mutilation."
Based on the brief summaries, however, it was not immediately apparent which atrocities the prosecutor had looked into, though there was a brief reference to the early October U.S. bombing of the Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, which killed at least 30 people.
However, Afghans have long spoken out against U.S. brutality in the country, including torture in Bagram prison.
The report states, furthermore, that prosecutors intend to continue their investigations, but it was unclear whether they plan to press formal charges against the United States.
"The Office is assessing information relevant to determine the scale of the alleged abuse, as well as whether the identified war crimes were committed as part of a plan or policy," stated the report, which also noted severe abuses committed by Taliban and Afghan forces.
Some are skeptical that the U.S., which is not a participant in the ICC, will ever be held accountable by that body.
"It's important that the ICC broadens its scope beyond what it has been so far, which has been primarily investigating African dictatorships. It's not surprising that the ICC's reputation has been significantly undermined by the accurate perception that it does not apply to powerful countries or close allies of powerful countries," Phyllis Bennis, senior fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, told Common Dreams.
"If this preliminary report is an indication that that is changing, that the prosecutor would look seriously at U.S. violations in the so-called Global War on Terror, that would be a major step forward for the legitimacy of the country and empowerment of international law in general," Bennis continued.
The ICC report comes a month after President Barack Obama proclaimed that he plans to leave 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan "through most of next year," despite his previous pledge to withdraw the U.S. military, except for embassy presences, by 2016.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare is the editor of Workday Magazine and a contributing editor for In These Times. She is a former Staff Writer at Common Dreams. She comes from a background in independent journalism for publications including The Intercept, The Nation, and Tom Dispatch.
Prosecutors for the International Criminal Court declared Thursday that they have information which "suggests" that U.S.-led, international forces in Afghanistan are responsible for "physical and psychological" violence and torture that "debased the basic human dignity" of those detained.
The office of ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda released the Report on Preliminary Examination Activities (pdf), which includes brief summaries of investigations into alleged crimes committed by all parties to the conflict since 2003, including U.S. and NATO forces.
The preliminary investigation notes that the U.S. military's investigation of its own crimes "did not go higher than the brigade commander level" or lead to criminal proceedings of any kind.
"It's not surprising that the ICC's reputation has been significantly undermined by the accurate perception that it does not apply to powerful countries or close allies of powerful countries."
-- Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy StudiesReferring to "international forces," the report states: "The information available suggests that victims were deliberately subjected to physical and psychological violence, and that crimes were allegedly committed with particular cruelty and in a manner that debased the basic human dignity of the victims."
"The infliction of 'enhanced interrogation techniques,' applied cumulatively and in combination with each other over a prolonged period of time, would have caused serious physical and psychological injury to the victims," the report continues. "Some victims reportedly exhibited psychological and behavioral issues, including hallucinations, paranoia, insomnia, and attempts at self-harm and self-mutilation."
Based on the brief summaries, however, it was not immediately apparent which atrocities the prosecutor had looked into, though there was a brief reference to the early October U.S. bombing of the Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, which killed at least 30 people.
However, Afghans have long spoken out against U.S. brutality in the country, including torture in Bagram prison.
The report states, furthermore, that prosecutors intend to continue their investigations, but it was unclear whether they plan to press formal charges against the United States.
"The Office is assessing information relevant to determine the scale of the alleged abuse, as well as whether the identified war crimes were committed as part of a plan or policy," stated the report, which also noted severe abuses committed by Taliban and Afghan forces.
Some are skeptical that the U.S., which is not a participant in the ICC, will ever be held accountable by that body.
"It's important that the ICC broadens its scope beyond what it has been so far, which has been primarily investigating African dictatorships. It's not surprising that the ICC's reputation has been significantly undermined by the accurate perception that it does not apply to powerful countries or close allies of powerful countries," Phyllis Bennis, senior fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, told Common Dreams.
"If this preliminary report is an indication that that is changing, that the prosecutor would look seriously at U.S. violations in the so-called Global War on Terror, that would be a major step forward for the legitimacy of the country and empowerment of international law in general," Bennis continued.
The ICC report comes a month after President Barack Obama proclaimed that he plans to leave 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan "through most of next year," despite his previous pledge to withdraw the U.S. military, except for embassy presences, by 2016.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.