US building jail to hold journalists
Sun, 20 Jul 2008 23:59:40
The US is setting up a jail in its main military base in Afghanistan to hold the detained journalists, a human rights lawyer says.
Barbara J. Olshansky accused the army Sunday of establishing 'legal black holes' for holding journalists and hindering them from covering what is 'really' going on in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Many people in Afghanistan and in Iraq that have been targeted for detention are local journalists covering the conflict in their own country," said the prominent US human rights lawyer, AFP reported.
Olshansky said she was concerned a new prison being planned for the US Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan would resemble the Guantanamo Bay Prison in Cuba set up for keeping suspects in the US 'war on terror'.
"When the United States detains reporters, photographers, camera operators and holds them for long period without charge for any offence and without trials and without any evidence, we know that part of the goal is to just shut people up," she said.
There are many in the US custody in Iraq and Afghanistan who are held without a trial.
RB/MMN
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