The Song of the Captives: A Verse Adaptation of Testimony taken from Detainees at Abu Ghraib Prison (Human Rights and Civil Disobedience)

Limited resources, increasing populations, and unyielding political and religious systems have engendered conflicts around the world. As a consequence, commercial interests, established institutions, and government powers have threatened fundamental aspects of human rights.

The poetry in this book interprets, in a metered format, sworn statements obtained at Baghdad Correctional Facility, Abu Ghraib, Iraq, January 16-21, 2004, and obtained by the Washington Post. It finds a dark music in the plain speech of men detained and manipulated by strangers.

Jabez L. Van Cleef takes foundational texts from many oral traditions and religions and creates a common poetic format to preserve, promote and disseminate the values of these cultures. His work also promotes the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other frameworks intended to foster full realization of human potential.