U.S. releases prisoners for Ramadan

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Detainees, including several holding certificates of completion for a training program, wait for their release Wednesday from a U.S.-run facility at Camp Victory outside Baghdad, Iraq. About 60 detainees a day are being released from custody as a goodwill gesture by the U.S. during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.


U.S. releases prisoners for Ramadan
By Kim Curtis - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Oct 10, 2007 15:21:40 EDT

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq — Sixty prisoners — 10 of them youths — raised their hands Wednesday and swore to live a peaceful life. In return, U.S. authorities set them free. More than 25,000 Iraqis still in American custody haven’t been so lucky.

The security crackdown in Baghdad has raised the rolls in U.S.-run detention centers to 10,000 more detainees compared to this time last year, worsening already serious backlogs in the court system.

Several men being released Wednesday interrupted the judge’s speech to complain that they had been held for months, even years, without cause.

The judge, who requested anonymity because of fears for his safety, explained that as long as parts of the country remain dangerous, authorities will err on the side of caution and round up hundreds of men at once, without taking the time to listen to individual stories.

“We cannot investigate every single one of you to get to the truth,” he told the group of men and boys who sat on wooden benches and wore striped shirts, rolled up trousers and sandals purchased for their release by the U.S. “Please, I’m begging you. This is the message we’re sending to the public. Help us. Help others. Help your families. Work only for peace.”

According to U.S. military figures, the average age of inmates is from 35 to 37 for adults and 15 to 17 for youths. About 85 percent are Sunni, 14 percent are Shiite and 1 percent are neither. Most remain in custody for about a year.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/10/ap_ramadanprisoners_071010/