UN reacts to latest prisoner abuse allegations; says abuse "unacceptable"

(22 May 2005) SHOTLIST 1. United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) news conference in UN compound 2. Cameramen 3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Richard Provencher, United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) spokesman "The circumstances involving the abuse and inhumane treatment leading to the death of two Afghan prisoners in Bagram in 2002, reported in the New York Times on the basis of a US army investigation, are deeply disturbing. Such abuses are utterly unacceptable and are an affront to everything the international community stands for in Afghanistan." 4. Reporters listening 5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Richard Provencher, United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) spokesman "The gravity of these abuses calls for the punishment of all those involved in such inexcusable crimes, as demanded by (Afghan) President (Hamid) Karzai. It all calls for firm guarantees that such abuses cannot be committed again now or at any time in the future." 6. Cameraman 7. Reporters seated STORYLINE The United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has strongly condemned the reported abuse of two Afghan prisoners by the US military in 2002, leading to their deaths. Speaking at a news conference in the UN compound in Kabul on Sunday, UNAMA spokesman Richard Provencher described the report in the New York Times as "deeply disturbing". "Such abuses are utterly unacceptable and are an affront to everything the international community stands for in Afghanistan," he added. Afghan leader Hamid Karzai, who is in the United States for meetings with US president George W Bush, has demanded greater control over American military operations in Afghanistan and vigorous punishment of soldiers who mistreat prisoners. He also said he wants the United States to hand over all Afghan prisoners still in US custody. The UNAMA spokesman said: "The gravity of these abuses calls for the punishment of all those involved in such inexcusable crimes, as demanded by President Karzai. It all calls for firm guarantees that such abuses cannot be committed again now or at any time in the future". There were fears the report in Friday's New York Times, based on the US Army's criminal investigation into the December 2002 deaths of two Afghans at Bagram, could re-ignite anti-American sentiment. The Times' allegations of maltreatment were supported by Human Rights Watch, a New York-based watchdog, which said that at least six prisoners in US custody in Afghanistan have been killed since 2002. In December, Pentagon officials said that eight deaths of prisoners in Afghanistan - including the two mentioned in the Times report - had been investigated since mid-2002. Hundreds of people were detained during and after the campaign by US-led forces to oust the hardline Taliban regime in late 2001. After the outcry over abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, the military also initiated a review of its prison facilities in Afghanistan and later said it had modified some of its procedures, although the review's findings haven't been made public. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...