Torture and after

It’s good to note the US stance on human rights has not changed notwithstanding its so-called war on terror. We would like to accept the US explanation then that the American soldiers involved in the Abu Ghraib shame and abuses at Guantanamo were acting on their own. We agree with President Bush that the individuals responsible for Abu Ghraib were not representing the "America we know."

But the way to ensure the world gets to know the real America, the land of the free, is by making it sure those responsible for the abuse and torture are brought to justice. This can go a long way in restoring the world’s confidence and trust in America.

Meanwhile there are lessons in it for our part of the world. Arab republics and Iraq’s neighbours would do well to learn from the way the issue of Abu Ghraib torture was treated by the US media. We must not forget the fact that it was the American media that first exposed the Abu Ghraib torture. Seymour Hersh, the legendary hack known for path-breaking stories, first blew the whistle on the abuse in his report in the New Yorker. What needs to be acknowledged is the fact that the same media that glorified American soldiers as the brave young men sent to liberate Iraqis from tyranny and a totalitarian regime did not hesitate one bit in exposing their wrong deeds and demanding action against them.

Can we in the Arab media tread the same fearless path of objective and conscientious journalism? Could the Arab media ever be so critical of wrongs in their midst? Would this ever happen in our part of the world?

It’s not as if rights abuse and torture are new to Middle East. These things do happen in the many so-called Arab republics. Only the media is not bold enough to report and comment on them. This week Iran’s judiciary surprised many in the region by strongly censuring the country’s police and security forces for human rights abuses and comparing them to the Abu Ghraib persecutors. We can do with more of such courageous voices.

A truly independent media can be the conscience keeper of the Arab world. A free media is quick to respond to, and possibly correct, wrongs as soon as they take place. But then, freedom of expression and democracy go together. Democratic conditions are essential for free media to flourish and survive.