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| Renovated Baghdad jail back in business |
| CCTV.COM 2003-08-05 13:08:42 |
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As US forces in Iraq pursue Saddam Hussein and his former officials throughout the country, military police got back to work on Monday at Baghdad Central Penitentiary,a renovated prison.
The jail, located 20 km west of Baghdad, is a repainted and renamed version of the old Abu Ghureib prison. Renovation of the prison represents the first step in US efforts to install a new criminal justice system.
Last October, after Saddam freed all the country's criminal and political prisoners as a gesture of mercy, more than 40,000 murderers, rapists and common criminals were released onto the streets. Whereas Abu Ghureib once held an estimated 20,000 prisoners, the new jail has a population of only 500. About 400 of them are common criminals arrested for anything from robbery to looting； the rest are Saddam loyalists seized in recent raids. Iraqis have complained about US forces detaining family members, friends and relatives under false pretences and say the Americans have made no effort to free those that are innocent.
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Editor: Xiao Wei CCTV.com
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