Emad Mekay

WASHINGTON – In what may be the first concrete example of the effects of the Abu Ghraib prison torture scandal in Iraq, lawyers and human rights groups in Egypt, a major U.S. ally in the Middle East, say that local police are increasingly resorting to new torture tactics similar to those used by U.S. soldiers … Continue reading “Egyptian Police Learn From Abu Ghraib”

WASHINGTON – U.S. military auditors have criticized construction giant Halliburton for the way it does business in Iraq, concerns amplified by former employees who are alleging financial abuses in the U.S.-occupied country. “In our opinion, the contractor’s billing system is inadequate in part,” said the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) in a report made available … Continue reading “Halliburton Under Renewed Fire for Iraq Deals”

Lawyers for Iraqis tortured while in U.S. custody have sued two private security companies for allegedly abusing prisoners to extract information from them with the goal of winning more contracts from the U.S. government. According to the class action lawsuit filed Wednesday by the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and a Philadelphia law … Continue reading “Torture Victims Sue US Security Companies”

When the U.S. state department shyly released a human rights report two weeks ago amidst an international outcry over U.S. soldiers’ abuse of Iraqi prisoners, it slipped in some tough talk on media freedom – against the practice, not for it as would be expected. Lorne Craner, deputy assistant secretary for democracy and human rights, … Continue reading “Washington Pushes Freedom – But Not for Al-Jazeera”

Iraq under Saddam Hussein did not pose a threat to the United States but it did to Israel, which is one reason why Washington invaded the Arab country, according to a speech made by a member of a top-level White House intelligence group. IPS uncovered the remarks by Philip Zelikow, who is now the executive … Continue reading “9/11 Commission Director: Iraq War Launched to Protect Israel”

The United States is moving to freeze millions of dollars in accounts held by relatives of Saddam Hussein and other senior officials in his fallen regime, months after Washington seized billions of dollars in frozen Iraqi assets overseas. The US Treasury Department in a statement Thursday urged other countries to follow suit and transfer the … Continue reading “US Moves to Seize More Iraqi Assets”

With threats of a Venezuelan oil blockade helping to push petroleum prices higher, neo-conservative politicians and analysts continue to insist the biggest threat to U.S. energy supplies is Washington’s reliance on Middle East oil. President Hugo Chavez on Sunday vowed to halt oil exports to the United States and launch a “100-year war” if Washington … Continue reading “Neoconservatives Use Oil to Keep Heat on Mideast”