500 Iraqi Detainees to Be Freed

The U.S. civilian administrator in Iraq today will unveil a plan to release more than 500 nonviolent detainees who are among 13,000 prisoners held by the U.S-led coalition.

L. Paul Bremer III, who heads the Coalition Provisional Authority, is also expected to outline a bounty program -- with rewards of up to $200,000 -- for information leading to the capture or death of about 30 people believed to be important figures in the insurgency.

The moves represent a major initiative by the U.S.-led occupying forces aimed at smashing the insurgency that has thwarted reconstruction and claimed the lives of hundreds of coalition troops and Iraqis.

U.S. authorities have received intense criticism from international human rights groups and some Iraqis who say that innocent people have been detained and subjected to substandard conditions.

U.S. officials say that the treatment of each detainee is consistent with Geneva Convention governing occupied nations. Detainees’ cases are periodically reviewed, the officials say.

The reward program represents a gesture of goodwill to Iraqis willing to cooperate with the administration and a warning to insurgent leaders that the United States is determined to capture them. “While the coalition seeks to promote reconciliation, we recognize that some will never reconcile themselves to democracy in Iraq,” Bremer wrote in prepared remarks to be delivered today. “If they remain unreconciled, if they continue to fight, the coalition is prepared to capture or kill them.”

The strategy comes more than three weeks after the capture of Saddam Hussein, which U.S. officials say has led to a wealth of new intelligence on the armed opposition and a surge in informers willing to cooperate with U.S. forces. Despite the new intelligence, attacks against coalition forces in Iraq have remained steady since the former dictator’s arrest.

U.S. commanders fear that attacks may escalate as insurgents seek to disrupt the transition to a new Iraqi government, scheduled to take place July 1. U.S. and other coalition forces are expected to remain in the country long after that date to provide security.

One U.S. official described Bremer’s plan as “a direct result of the momentum generated by Saddam Hussein’s capture.” Having removed the specter of the ex-strongman’s return to power, the official said, authorities are optimistic about winning over many “fence-sitters” -- Iraqis who are hesitant to support the United States.

“It’s an opportunity, and we should take advantage of the opportunity,” said one military officer who was among the officials briefing journalists. “Why sit around and just wait for this to come to us? Why not jump-start the process?”

The growing number of detainees -- now about 12,800 -- has sparked outrage among many Iraqis. Preachers, politicians, community leaders and others -- along with international human rights groups -- regularly call on U.S. forces to release some internees to their families or at least state why so many people are being held.

It is not unusual for soldiers here to arrest 100 or more suspects during dozens of almost daily raids across the country. Many are released almost immediately. Others are turned over to Iraqi officials to answer allegations not related to the insurgency. But many are jailed by U.S. forces in a network of detention camps that have been erected in many parts of the country.

Under Bremer’s plan, 506 detainees will be eligible for release under a parole-type program starting this week, officials said. All were jailed for nonviolent crimes and are not considered direct security threats, officials said.

All must renounce violence and have the backing of a community or tribal leader -- a condition designed to win over the support of sheiks and other grass-roots leaders.

“It’s very important to send a message not only to the fence-sitters who may be detainees, but the fence-sitters who are out there, by engaging their community leaders and tribal leaders,” one coalition official said.

Authorities cited the theoretical case of a suspect picked up in a raid at a residence in which guns and explosives were found but there was no direct evidence of the suspect’s involvement in violence. Iraqis often complain about such cases.

Officials made it clear that anyone implicated in attacks can expect a long stay behind bars and will one day probably face some kind of a trial in a new Iraqi justice system.

“This is not a program for those with bloodstained hands,” Bremer wrote in his prepared remarks. “No person directly involved in the death or serious bodily harm to any human being will be released.”

Suspects released under the new program may face enhanced sentences if they are arrested again.

The reward program involves payments of as much as $200,000 for information leading to the capture or killing of about 30 suspected insurgents. Details on the group and their alleged roles in the armed opposition were not immediately provided.

Their status was described as just below the first tier of 55 Iraqi ex-leaders whose likenesses were applied to a notorious deck of cards. All but 13 from the deck have been captured or killed, officials said.

“We are trying to shine a spotlight on tier 2 and tier 3 targets in a way we haven’t before,” a coalition official said. “It’s a matter of seizing this enormous momentum.”