Alive, but dead

Over 100 American soldiers missing in Afghanistan. US Department of State still ignores the fact
US authorities treat American soldiers at war in Afghanistan the same way they treat prisoners in Guantanamo: both can’t rely upon protection guaranteed by the US Constitution.

American judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly rendered a decision according to which people imprisoned in Guantanamo can’t enjoy protection guaranteed by the US judicial system. The decision is an obvious triumph of the George W. Bush administration. Attorneys speaking on behalf of the prisoners affirmed that their clients have the right to know what they are charged with. At the same time, they insisted that the people have the right to appeal against the legitimacy of their imprisonment in Guantanamo in a US Court.

The situation regarding the imprisoned Taliban is perfectly clear; it is of no use to hope that the US Justice will be well-disposed toward them. However, the situation should be quite different when citizens of your own country are left to the mercy of fate.

The losses of US servicemen in Afghanistan make up about 100 people, who are considered missing. Russian newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets informs that US authorities do not conceal information about the number of missing people; on the contrary, they don't even help them. Member of the RF Presidential Commission for Internees and Missing Persons Leonid Biryukov returned from his business trip in Kabul a week ago. In an initerview, he stated that over 100 Americans are missing in Afghanistan and have given up every hope that the US authorities would pay attention to their problem. Leonid Biryukov says, “I held negotiations with the Afghanistan Ministers for Internal Affairs and Defense, who constantly repeated that number of Americans missing in Afghanistan was considerable.” At that, the Afghani ministers are surprised not only with purposeful suppression of information by the US authorities, but with no interest from the US Department of State concerning the fate of the American soldiers. In Biryukov’s words, the incumbent Afghanistan government has not yet received a single official or unofficial inquiry concerning the 100 American soldiers missing after military operations in Kabul and Kandahar. The ministers also say that no attempts have been made to obtain information using special services as well.

Dmitry Chirkin PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Maria Gousseva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/08/01/45035.html

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