The issue of torture is back in the news.
As the insurgency in Iraq continues, it appears coalition forces are growing desperate to find information to stop it.
On Tuesday, the new Iraqi government announced it would begin an investigation into a torture camp that was discovered by the U.S. military.
The camp was being operated by the new Iraqi government. All of the camp's 173 prisoners were mainly Sunni Arabs, according to a former prisoner. The captives were found malnourished and in a weakened state. They were reportedly beaten and electrocuted.
Reports of torture are becoming all too common. Even one report is too many.
Torture might be a sign of how desperate the coalition is to gather intelligence that will end fighting. It doesn't appear to be working.
Torture isn't an effective means of interrogation because many times torture victims will simply tell their interrogators what they want to hear in an effort to end the abuse.
Regardless of its effectiveness, something needs to be done to stop this sort of behavior.
The discovery of this camp is especially damaging to the new Iraqi government because it was supposed to be ushering a new era of freedom and personal liberty into the country. For years, the Iraqi people lived in fear of torture under the regime of Saddam Hussein. The new government is supposed to change that.
With this example of torture, which appeared to be directed at a minority group within Iraq, how will the new government bring all of Iraq's people together?
Sunni Arab leaders expressed outrage over the discovery.
It's possible the torture is related to the severe oppression and residual anger felt by Shiites during Saddam's regime.
It's imperative the new Iraqi government investigate this incident on its own and bring those responsible to justice. This is the only way to maintain its credibility with Iraq's minority populations.
At the same time, the United States needs to set a good example on this issue. Asking for an exemption for the CIA when it interrogates prisoners certainly doesn't do this.
Regardless of the reasons behind the torture, something needs to be done to put a stop to it. The issue has spent more than enough time in the news already.
