Green Party Demands Investigation of Tortures and Missing $1 Trillion
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld must be removed, say Green leaders, citing abuses of power.
Date Published: May 25th, 2005
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party leaders called on
Congress to begin immediate and far-reaching
investigations of major abuses by the Pentagon:
Evidence of torture and abuse of detainees at
Abu Ghraib in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba, and abuse at facilities in the U.S.,
especially at the Metropolitan Detention Center
in Brooklyn, New York.
Recent reports that the Pentagon is unable to
account for more than a trillion dollars in
financial transactions and missing equpment; $8.8
billion in Iraqi oil sales unaccounted for in a
2005 audit, according to the Special Inspector
General for Iraq Reconstruction.
"The astronomical waste of taxpayers' money,
torture of detainees, inadequate protection for
U.S. troops facing enemy fire, disregard for the
effects of depleted uranium, and 1,600-plus
deaths of American personnel and tens of
thousands of Iraqi civilian deaths are more than
a failure of accountability," said Gloria
Mattera, lead organizer of the demonstrations at
the Brooklyn facility and current Green candidate
for Borough President in Brooklyn.
"This is a massive abuse of power. It deserves impeachment,
criminal investigation, and prosecution."
"The Department of Defense can no longer call the
torture reports a matter of excessive misbehavior
by a few individuals," added Steve Kramer,
co-chair of the Green Party of the United States.
"It's a systematic problem -- a policy decision
made at the highest levels. Mr. Rumsfeld has
disgraced his office and should resign
immediately, or be removed for the sake of our
nation's integrity. And the missing one trillion
dollars must be accounted for before Congress
considers another dime in any war
appropriations."
Despite its apologies, the Newsweek accounts of
desecration of the Quran by U.S. military
personnel at detention centers have been
corroborated in reports from the International
Committee of the Red Cross, legal depositions,
and in numerous other periodicals, including The
Financial Times.
"President Bush was more outraged by the fact
that abuses are being reported than by the abuses
themselves," said Marc Sanson, who is also
co-chair of the Green Party. "Newsweek's retreat
is a blow to freedom of the press -- to the
media's obligation to investigate and report,
regardless of threats from the powerful."
Greens noted that several U.S. generals have
become increasingly grim about the future of the
occupation.
"The generals are confirming what antiwar
protesters claimed from the very beginning --
that the invasion of Iraq was based on a
misinformation campaign and will likely continue
for years, with mounting casualties," said David
Cobb, 2004 Green Party candidate for President.
The Green Party led the political opposition to
the invasion and sharply criticized Democratic
and Republican support for President Bush's
invasion plans, and now calls for an immediate
end to the occupation.
MORE INFORMATION
The Green Party of the United States
1700 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 404
Washington, DC 20009.
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
"$1 Trillion Missing: Military waste under fire"
By Tom Abate
The San Francisco Chronicle
May 18, 2005
"Generals Offer Sober Outlook on Iraqi War"
By John F. Burns and Eric Schmitt
The New York Times
May 19, 2005
"Inaction in New York Prison Abuse Stirs Anger"
By Richard B. Schmitt and Richard A. Serrano
The Los Angeles Times
May 21, 2005
"High Uranium Levels Found in Troops and Civilians"
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