Washington, DC – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) this morning learned that the Republican-controlled House Rules Committee refused to allow her amendments on Iraqi prison reform to the Defense Authorization Act, H.R. 4200.  H.R. 4200 includes the $25 billion that the Bush Administration hastily included to continue the war in Iraq.

One of Lee’s amendments called for an international commission to oversee U.S.-held prisons in Iraq to ensure that the administration of these prisons complies with Geneva Convention accords. That commission would have included representatives from the Red Cross, the Red Crescent, the Iraqi transitional government, Iraqi civil society, the United Nations, and U.S. and Coalition armed forces.

Another Lee amendment on Iraqi prison reform called for the creation of a database of all detained persons in Iraq in U.S. custody that, to the extent practicable, would have been available to Iraqi family members.  

“We have an enormous human rights crisis in these prisons, and the Republicans are again ceded our constitutional duty to oversee the President’s foreign policy,” said Lee. “The Geneva Convention is neither quaint nor obsolete, and these amendments would have ensured compliance and helped to restore badly damaged US credibility. Instead of serious amendments to address these issues, the House Republicans have opted for a non-binding amendment that merely expresses their concern about the abuse of Iraqi prisoners. That’s a sham and a shame.”

A third Lee amendment rejected by Republicans would have prohibited Department of Defense (DoD) spending on the overthrow of democratically elected governments.  Borne out of the Bush Administration’s alleged involvement in the recent coup in Haiti and inspired by former Massachusetts Rep. Edward Boland’s famous amendment prohibiting the Reagan Administration from using money to fund the Nicaraguan contras, Lee’s amendment called for a ban of the use of DoD funds for military training, equipment, or other support aimed at the overthrow of a democratically elected government.

 

 

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