May 13, 2004 Letter to President Bush
PO Box 8208
Alexandria, VA 22306-8208
May 13, 2004
The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
As an American, I am appalled by the conduct of armed forces personnel that resulted in sexual humiliation, degradation and apparent threats of electric shock imposed on Iraqi prisoners that are depicted in a series of photographs taken by soldiers. I believe these abuses are a result of detention policies pursued by your Administration that do not honor the rule of international law or American values. I urge you to ensure that all prisoners in American military custody, including those prisoners in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, immediately be granted Article V hearings to determine their legal status under the Geneva Conventions.
As a former Marine and Gulf War veteran, I also believe that your Administration should make clear that all prisoners, regardless of whether they are determined to be prisoners of war, unlawful combatants, or hold some other status, are covered by either the Third or Fourth Geneva Convention, as stated by Secretary Rumsfeld before the Senate Armed Services Committee. This policy should be made universal, as provided by Army regulations.
I do not believe these abuses are merely the depraved actions of a few poorly trained soldiers who were inadequately supervised. Rather, the abuses are a predictable result of detention policies pursued by your Administration that do not honor the rule of law or American values. Our nation’s apology to the Iraqi detainees, their families, and the nations of the world will ring hollow if it is not accompanied by a clear break with these detention policies, and all members of your Administration must commit to reform of these detention policies.
I believe these atrocities indicate the need for reform at all levels of American detention policy. If the United States is sincere, it will not only conduct this investigation in a transparent manner, it will open to outside scrutiny our treatment, including interrogation techniques, of all war prisoners, whatever their status as prisoners of war, unlawful combatants or some other status.
It is imperative that you take steps to ensure that the rule of law is respected at home and abroad. Your Administration has indicated its willingness to violate international law by detaining individuals without charge or means of proving their innocence. The abuses in Iraq are only one example of the implications of such flawed policies. By enacting measures to reform these flawed policies, you can show that these violations do not represent the values of the American people as a whole.
Once again, I urge you to ensure that all prisoners in American military custody, including those prisoners in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, must immediately be granted Article V hearings to determine their legal status under the Geneva Conventions. Also, that your Administration should make clear that all prisoners, regardless of whether they are determined to be prisoners of war, unlawful combatants, or hold some other status, are covered by either the Third or Fourth Geneva Convention.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this matter.
Sincerely,
James Landrith