Red Cross Warned Bush Administration of Widespread Mistreatm

 

Roger Wilkison

A confidential¹ report by the International Committee of the Red Cross says its officials saw U.S. troops in Iraq mistreat prisoners under interrogation and warned the Bush administration earlier this year that such abuse was widespread. The Red Cross has confirmed that the leaked report, which appeared on the website of The Wall Street Journal newspaper, is authentic².

The 24-page report, based on inspections⁴ and interviews conducted by Red Cross officials at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison and other detention⁵ facilities last year, was submitted to the U.S. government in February.

It notes that mistreatment of prisoners in the custody⁶ of U.S. military intelligence in Iraq was part of a pattern and not the result of individual acts. It says that, in some cases, such abuse was, in its words "tantamount to torture." But it clarifies that systematic⁷ ill-treatment under interrogation was limited to detainees suspected of security offenses⁸ or those deemed to have an intelligence value.

President Bush has said the mistreatment was the wrongdoing of a few soldiers, but the Red Cross report says its officials witnessed and documented a variety of methods used by interrogators to secure the cooperation of the prisoners.

The report says one practice used by guards at Abu Ghraib was to keep prisoners naked in empty cells and in total darkness. The report quotes the military intelligence officer in charge of interrogating¹⁰ prisoners there as saying that this practice was, in his words, "part of the process."

The Red Cross report says prisoners were subjected to harsh treatment as part of an effort by intelligence officers to obtain confessions¹² and extract information from them. It says Red Cross officials found evidence supporting prisoners' allegations of abuse, such as burns, bruises¹⁴ and other injuries.

The report also alleges¹⁶ that British troops in the southern Iraqi city of Basra beat one prisoner to death and documents eight instances in which unnamed coalition¹⁷ forces opened fire - in some cases, from watchtowers - on unarmed prisoners who were rioting or trying to escape, killing¹⁸ seven of them. It says the coalition determined¹⁹, after investigating those incidents, that its soldiers had acted properly.

Two-months after the last Red Cross visit detailed²⁰ in the report, pictures were taken of U.S. troops abusing prisoners. Those pictures appeared in news media late last month, causing international outrage²¹ and prompting apologies by President Bush and other top U.S. officials. Criminal charges have now been filed against seven U.S. soldiers.
注释：
confidential [kCnfi5denFEl] adj. 机密的
International Committee of the Red Cross  国际红十字会
interrogation [in7terE5^eiFEn] n. 审问
Wall Street Journal 《华尔街日报》
authentic [C:5Wentik] adj. 可信的
inspection³ [in5spekFEn] n. 检查
detention [di5tenFEn] n. 拘留
submit [sEb5mit] vt. 提交，递交
custody [5kQstEdi] n. 拘留
military intelligence  军事情报
tantamount [5tAntEmaunt] adj. 等价的
clarify [5klArifai] v. 阐明
detainee [7di:tei5ni:] n. 被拘留者
interrogator⁹ [in5terE^eitE] n. 审问者
subject [5sQbdVikt] vt. 使屈从于……
harsh [hB:F] adj. 残酷的，苛刻的
confession¹¹ [kEn5feFEn] n. 供认，招供
extract [iks5trAkt] vt. 榨取
bruise¹³ [bru:z] n. 伤痕
injury [5indVEri] n. 伤害
allege¹⁵ [E5ledV] vt. 宣称，断言
watchtower [wCtF5tauE] n. 了望塔
riot [5raiEt] v. 骚乱

 

1 confidential   

adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的

参考例句：

• He refused to allow his secretary to handle confidential letters.他不让秘书处理机密文件。
• We have a confidential exchange of views.我们推心置腹地交换意见。

2 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。

3 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

4 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

6 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

7 systematic   

adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的

参考例句：

• The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
• The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。

8 offenses   

n.进攻( offense的名词复数 )；（球队的）前锋；进攻方法；攻势

参考例句：

• It's wrong of you to take the child to task for such trifling offenses. 因这类小毛病责备那孩子是你的不对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Thus, Congress cannot remove an executive official except for impeachable offenses. 因此，除非有可弹劾的行为，否则国会不能罢免行政官员。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

9 interrogator   

n.讯问者；审问者；质问者；询问器

参考例句：

• No,I was not mad, but my interrogator was furious. 不，我没疯，只是质问我的人怒不可遏。 来自互联网
• Miss Fan lacked such an interrogator with whom she could whisper intimately. 范小姐就缺少这样一个切切私语的盘问者。 来自互联网

10 interrogating   

n.询问技术v.询问( interrogate的现在分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询

参考例句：

• She was no longer interrogating but lecturing. 她已经不是在审问而是在教训人了。 来自辞典例句
• His face remained blank, interrogating, slightly helpless. 他的面部仍然没有表情，只带有询问的意思，还有点无可奈何。 来自辞典例句

11 confession   

n.自白，供认，承认

参考例句：

• Her confession was simply tantamount to a casual explanation.她的自白简直等于一篇即席说明。
• The police used torture to extort a confession from him.警察对他用刑逼供。

12 confessions   

n.承认( confession的名词复数 )；自首；声明；（向神父的）忏悔

参考例句：

• It is strictly forbidden to obtain confessions and to give them credence. 严禁逼供信。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Neither trickery nor coercion is used to secure confessions. 既不诱供也不逼供。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 bruise   

n.青肿，挫伤；伤痕；vt.打青；挫伤

参考例句：

• The bruise was caused by a kick.这伤痕是脚踢的。
• Jack fell down yesterday and got a big bruise on his face.杰克昨天摔了一跤，脸上摔出老大一块淤斑。

14 bruises   

n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was covered with bruises after falling off his bicycle. 他从自行车上摔了下来，摔得浑身伤痕。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The pear had bruises of dark spots. 这个梨子有碰伤的黑斑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 allege   

vt.宣称，申述，主张，断言

参考例句：

• The newspaper reporters allege that the man was murdered but they have given no proof.新闻记者们宣称这个男人是被谋杀的，但他们没提出证据。
• Students occasionally allege illness as the reason for absence.学生时不时会称病缺课。

16 alleges   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The newspaper article alleges that the mayor is corrupt. 报纸上断言该市长腐败。
• Steven was tardy this morning and alleges that his bus was late. 史提芬今天早上迟到的说词是公车误点了。

17 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

18 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

19 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

20 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

21 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。