Iraqi Lawyers Voice Concerns Over Treatment Of Detainees

November 15, 2007 12:31 p.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - A delegation of top Iraqi lawyers has been making the rounds in Washington this week in an effort to persuade U.S. officials to spend less on building prisons in Iraq, and more on building the rule of law.

According to a letter delivered by representatives of the Iraqi Bar Association to President Bush and other key Republicans, the U.S. efforts to reconstruct Iraq's justice system have "focused almost entirely on police, prisons and prosecution."

Mr. Bush was not available to meet with the lawyers when they arrived at the White House on Tuesday, but they did meet with a presidential aide, and, later that day, with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.

On Wednesday, they delivered their letter to Congress, holding meetings with several lawmakers, including House Minority Whip, Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The Iraqi delegation is calling for better treatment of prisoners, who they said tend to wait anywhere from three months to two years before speaking with a lawyer about their case.

"As American lawyers tell us, justice delayed is justice denied," IBA President Aswad al-Minshidi wrote. "Moreover, a people's respect for the rule of law, which is the keystone of a lawful society, is also affected by the mere appearance of injustice."

The Iraqi delegation, which also included Hisham al-Fityan, a Sunni and Vice President of the IBA, and Wrea Ahmad, president of the Kurdish Bar Association, also called on the U.S. to provide more resources for Iraq's legal system, left completely dysfunctional after years under Saddam Hussein's rule.

"You have established 18 benchmarks for Iraqi progress, seven are legislative, yet not one American dollar has been spent to assist the State Council, the oldest, most legitimate and respected legislative institution in our country," the letter reads.

"Needless to say that the Iraqi people will long remember how you approached justice," the IBA letter warns.

According to the Washington Post, the United States has so far allocated $125 million to build prisons in Iraq.

The U.S. military said last week that it had approximately 25,800 Iraqis in custody, many of whom have not yet been charged or tried.