[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 60 (Tuesday, May 4, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4824-S4825]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    MALTREATMENT OF IRAQI PRISONERS

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, the American people know about the strong 
and honorable character of the American soldier. Over the last 228 
years, the United States Army has rightly earned the reputation of a 
professional fighting force that is courageous in battle and benevolent 
in peace.
  The United States Army has had centuries to earn the respect of the 
American people. The White House expected our military to earn the 
trust of the Iraqi people in only months. Despite the outstanding 
service of countless thousands of our troops, the shameful and 
disgusting abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the hands of U.S. soldiers is a 
tragedy that must be corrected immediately.
  The photographic evidence that Iraqi prisoners have been humiliated, 
abused, and mistreated is absolutely shocking. One can hardly ponder 
the technicalities of the Geneva Conventions when the most basic rules 
of human decency have been violated. The disgust expressed by many 
Americans has been amplified a thousand times by outraged Muslims 
around the world.
  How long might it be before Osama bin Laden uses these incidents to 
whip up anti-American sentiment in other corners of the world? After 
the bloodiest month of the occupation of Iraq, this is news our Nation 
can ill afford.
  It is not clear at this point who should be held to account for this 
stain upon the reputation of our armed forces. No one has stepped 
forward to take responsibility for the conditions in Iraqi prisons. 
Instead, fingers are being pointed in every direction. Soldiers are 
blaming superior officers, and generals are blaming subordinates. 
Others blame our intelligence services, which blame contractors, who 
blame others still. Some military leaders claim that this is an 
isolated incident, others make ominous claims about patterns of abuses. 
With whom does this buck stop?
  The Armed Services Committee today had a closed-door briefing from 
three Army Generals. No civilian official of the Department of Defense 
appeared at the briefing, nor did any member of the Joint Chiefs of 
Staff. I did not attend that briefing. Secret, closed door meetings on 
a subject of such enormous import smack of damage control and cover-
up--and that is the last impression the Senate should be conveying. We 
must ensure that Congress accedes to no ground rules in its 
investigations that could further taint this deplorable situation.
  The time for public hearings on prisons run by the U.S. Armed Forces 
is now. We must leave no room for charges that investigations are being 
glossed over, pushed aside, sat on, or ignored. I have written to the 
chairman and ranking member of the Armed Services Committee to urge 
them to call public hearings with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, 
Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet, and Chairman of the 
Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers. The Armed Services 
Committee should also seek testimony from outside experts on the laws 
of war and humanitarian affairs, such as the International Committee 
for the Red Cross, Human Rights Watch, and scholars of international 
law.

[[Page S4825]]

  These hearings should take place as soon as possible, and examine all 
detention facilities run by the U.S. military, including those in Iraq, 
Afghanistan, and elsewhere. The abuse of Iraqi prisoners was covered 
for months until it was reported by the news media. Congress has no 
time to spare to find out what went wrong and what is still wrong, and 
take action to prevent further abuse of prisoners in our charge.

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