U.N. calls for global Iraq, Gitmo probe (UPI)

http://upi.com/InternationalIntelligence/view.php?StoryID=20051118-121015-7654r

GENEVA, Switzerland, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour sees an urgent need for an international investigation into the conditions of detainees in Iraq.

The recent discovery in an Interior Ministry building of 170 detainees who appeared to have been tortured indicated widespread problems with the detention system, Arbour said Friday, in a statement issued at UNHCHR headquarters in Geneva.

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Iraqi officials started their own inquiry after the prisoners were found by U.S. troops Sunday. They promised a full investigation but Sunni Arab groups insist only an international inquiry would have
credibility, said the BBC. Many of the detainees were Sunni Arabs.

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The request for a global inquiry into Iraq coincided with the official refusal of U.N. human rights experts to visit the U.S. detention base in Guantanamo. The experts said the United States refused terms for a "credible and fair assessment," including private interviews with detainees.

http://upi.com/InternationalIntelligence/view.php?StoryID=20051118-122352-1427r

LONDON, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- The United States government was roundly condemned by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights Friday for refusing to allow it full access to its detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. "The writ of international human rights does not stop at the gates of Guantanamo Bay," said the U.N. special rapporteur on the right to health, Paul Hunt, announcing a full investigation into the human rights of detainees at the Cuban camp.

Speaking at a human rights conference hosted by Amnesty International in London, Hunt said he had been requesting access to Guantanamo for two years, and was "extremely disappointed" at the decision.

"I am very anxious for this access because of consistent and credible reports of alleged serious violations of the rights and cultures of detainees. According to reports there has been a worrying and alarming deterioration in the mental health of many detainees. It is alleged that there are dozens of suicide attempts, reportedly medical staff have assisted in the design of interrogation strategies, including sleep deprivation and other coercive measures."

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In a tacit reference to statements made by U.S. President George W. Bush on the Guantanamo detainees, Hunt said that to those who argued they were "bad people," he replied that "whether they are good or
bad, the rule of law extends to them because they are human beings."

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edited to add Gitmo story, correct typo