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Video Links Offer Afghan Prisoners Images Of HopeFOURTEEN months ago, US-led coalition forces detained Noor Ahmad Aghas father during a night-time raid in southern Afghanistan, taking him to a secretive prison on the main American base hundreds of kilometres to the north. On Monday, Mr Aghas hands clutched a black phone while his reddened eyes stared at a small TV. It was the first time he had seen his father since the raid, thanks to a new video conferencing system agreed to by the US military and the Red Cross. For some held in limbo without charge, such chats are the first time in six years they have spoken with or seen family. The video conferencing represents a small victory for the Red Cross, but the group is still pushing the US to allow face-to-face visits at its Bagram base. "My father is alive for me again," Mr Agha said after his 20-minute video conversation. "Before, we had no news about him, no hope." Mr Aghas father, Haji Abdul Nafe, is one of between 600 and 650 prisoners held at Bagram Air Base. The jail is part of a global network of overseas prisons set up by the US to hold thousands of terrorism suspects, many who are held outside the reach of established law. The International Justice Network, a prisoners rights group, has denounced the Bush Administration for its refusal to allow the groups lawyers access to prisoners at Bagram. The group says many of the detainees are not Taliban fighters but ordinary citizens. "Many of our clients were apprehended without any warrant or cause for arrest," Barbara Olshanksy, the groups legal director, said. "Their houses were searched, their families were terrified, much of their property was destroyed, and in the end no weapons or contraband was found. Yet five years later, they are still in prison and there is no incentive to get them processed out of the system." A US military spokesman at Bagram declined to comment. The video chats have drawn relatives from throughout the region — some bringing children to see their fathers, others to see their sons. Mr Aghas father was arrested during a raid by troops in the village of Lal Khan in Panjwayi district of Kandahar province. The area has been a front line in the insurgency by Taliban militants against NATO and Afghan troops. Mr Agha, 22, told his father about their failing grape business, the new shop the family had built and the fact the familys children were going to school. "He looked younger to me than before," Mr Agha said. About 60 families from around Afghanistan have used the video system so far. AP Tag CloudExternal InformationAdditional InformationStrong Sumatra quake sparks tsunami panic...Bush Renews Call for Congress to Pass Iraq Financing Bill With No Strings... Colonel Mohamed Bacar flees ’disguised as woman’... President Bush wants lenders to waive tenth of unpaid sum on 100,000 home loans... Where Am I?News Main Page - Business - Video Links Offer Afghan Prisoners Images Of Hope |
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