Ibrahim denied any problems, saying he could "count on my fingers" the claims of torture and abuse: "If the prisoner has any complaints, she has rights and we will send it to an investigator." The only problem Ibrahim acknowledged was the major delays within the judicial system, an issue he said he does not control.
Under the Iraqi Constitution, detainees must see a judge within 24 hours of their arrest. During that hearing, a judge determines whether to move forward with the charges and the investigation process begins. But it is routinely months or longer before a woman faces a judge to learn her charges, and there are no consequences for missing the 24-hour window.
After last year's buildup of U.S. troops in Iraq and the bolstering of security in Baghdad, the delays have gotten even worse, Ibrahim said, adding that he has urged the judicial council to speed the process and hire more judges. Since the buildup began in February 2007, the number of inmates has grown from 9,000 to 16,000, he said.
Officials with the Supreme Judiciary Council said they had created 54 judiciary boards to look into the delays.
'There is no limit'
Qadir, Hashimi's legal advisor, said the delays were not limited to the initial court appearance. Investigations take months, as does the process of releasing detainees who have been cleared.
"At all of these levels, there is no limit," Qadir said.
One detainee said she had been imprisoned for four years without her case going to court, said Amal Qadhi, a member of parliament.
"Her case was theft," Qadhi said. "She was about 25 years old and she committed five suicide attempts because she had been waiting there for far too long."
--
kimi.yoshino@latimes.com
