Torture is rampant and routine in Jordan’s prisons, according to a 95-page Human Rights Watch report. Beatings with cables and sticks, flogging and hanging by wrists from metal grates were the most common instances cited.
Joe Stork of Human Rights Watch speaks with Martin Savidge about the alleged torture in Jordanian prisons.
A Jordanian police spokesperson refuted the report.
Jordan is a close U.S. ally and a major recipient of U.S. economic aid. Last month the U.S. gave $479.5 million to Jordan, bringing the aid total to $516.1 million so far this year.
The “group121″ blog lists cases of alleged extraordinary rendition to Jordan.
Evidence of torture in prisons has appeared in countries across the globe, and women are particularly at risk.
Watch video evidence of abuse in Egyptian prisons here. Egypt is also a prime benefactor of U.S. economic aid.
Over the summer, accusations of torture surfaced in both Russia and Mexico, leading to riots and public outcry. Blogger Robert Amsterdam posts a video of the Russian police injuring inmates at the Yekaterinaburg Prison Camp.
Accusations of torture at U.S. military bases in Afghanistan emerged last month. The lawsuit in the Abu Ghraib torture scandal — in which Iraqi prisoners were stripped naked, beaten and humiliated — is ongoing, with U.S. defense contractors now claiming immunity. The “A Family in Baghdad” blog posts an account of a former Iraqi prisoner.
The “Humanity Against Crimes” blog examines the discussion of torture in the U.S. presidential election and how America’s torture policies are seen abroad.
Photo courtesy of Flickr user SGT Butler under a Creative Commons license.
11/30/2008 :: 02:55:22 PM
Billy Joe Bob IV Says:
Oh my… How sad