By Alok Bhatt
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
BAGRAM, Afghanistan – For the first time after numerous requests, the Pentagon has released the names of approximately 645 Bagram air-base detainees. The American Civil Liberties Union was able to secure the release of a names list, completed on September 22, 2009, after filing a successful lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act. The ACLU was also granted partial fulfillment of their request for information regarding the detainment and treatment of Bagram inmates.
Bagram air-base, a US-run military and detention facility in Afghanistan, has been housing inmates for over five years. It has often been referred to as ‘Afghanistan’s Guantanamo’ because of myriad issues regarding inhumane treatment, such as torture, sodomy, and other heinous acts against inmates. The prison is also infamous for affording inmates even less civil rights than the scant liberties given Guantanamo inmates. Nationals of Afghanistan and other surrounding nations are currently held within the confines of the Bagram complex. Many of these individuals have no little to no knowledge as to why the US military is keeping them and have no access to the world outside air-base.
The recent refurbishment of the Bagram air-base, which included a structural expansion to accommodate a substantially greater number of US troops, brought with it the promise of greater transparency regarding the treatment of inmates. The recent release of inmates’ names signifies an integral step towards that end, and may also give hopes of redress to those unjustly detained. Furthermore, the victory for the ACLU could suggest that courts may inquire into whom the perpetrators of human rights violations are and impose accountability where necessary.
The list of detainees and related documents reveal some disturbing facts about Bagram detainees. Some of the inmates are actually quite young, and though only a few, it has been confirmed that among them are juveniles under the age of sixteen.
Although the information recently released represents a significant, perhaps unparalleled movement towards transparency regarding the US and its secretive holding structures, it is still only the first stride. The extent various human rights violations perpetrated against Bagram inmates has still not been revealed, and the Obama administration intends to appeal against the current, minimal rights given to inmates in Afghanistan.
For more information, please see:
Al-Jazeera – US releases Bagram prisoner names – 16 January 2010
Associated Free Press – Pentagon releases names of Bagram prisoners – 16 January 2010
BBC News – US releases names of prisoners at Bagram, Afghanistan – 16 January 2010
