Military

DATE=07/07/04

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=AFGHANISTAN U-S PRISON ABUSE (L-ONLY)

NUMBER=2-317304

BYLINE=MICHAEL KITCHEN

DATELINE=ISLAMABAD

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

HEADLINE: U.S. Completes Probe into its Afghan Prisons

INTRO: U.S. forces in Afghanistan say they have completed a review of prison conditions for Afghan detainees, amid allegations of torture and other abuses. But as VOA's Michael Kitchen reports from Islamabad, Afghanistan's human rights commission says it has reports of continuing mistreatment by some U.S. troops.

TEXT: U.S. Lieutenant General David Barno, commander of the approximately 20-thousand U.S. troops in Afghanistan, ordered the just-completed "top-to-bottom" review of U.S. detention centers in May.

The study came in response to torture allegations by former Afghan detainees, including beating and sexual abuse.

U.S. military spokesman Major Jon Siepmann says the findings of the review have been presented to General Barno and parts of the report will soon be made public.

/// SIEPMANN ACT ///

"The results of that report will also be shared with our U.S. Congress, and as soon as we're complete with staffing, we'll be able to release portions of that report to the media."

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General Barno has said he will use the report's findings to make any necessary improvements at the detention facilities.

Over the past two-and-a-half years, at least five Afghan detainees are believed to have died while in the custody of U.S. troops or their Afghan militia allies.

The U.S. military is conducting separate inquiries into those deaths.

Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission says it has recorded numerous cases of torture at U.S. prison camps, and is asking the U.S. military to allow its observers access to those still in detention.

The U.S. military has so far limited prison visits to monitors from the International Committee of the Red Cross, which does not issue its findings publicly.

Head of the human rights commission, Ahmad Nader Nadery, says the U.S. prison review is a positive step but adds that reports of mistreatment by

U.S. troops continue to surface.

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He cites an alleged incident earlier this month in which a family suspected of ties to anti-government militants was forced to stand in an uncomfortable position for eight hours while soldiers searched their house.

/// NADERY ACT ///

"From a human rights perspective, this is totally unacceptable, and is totally a kind of misbehavior by the coalition forces, having people stand for eight hours and then arresting them."

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U.S. troops entered Afghanistan in 2001 to oust the former Taleban government for sheltering accused terrorist leaders.

The troops remain in order to provide security and humanitarian assistance as the country prepares for its first post-war elections, expected later this year. (SIGNED)

NEB/HK/MK/MH