A rchive Date
[ 30-04-2004 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Egypt ]
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[http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2004/04/30/442516-ap.html
Arab stations air Iraq abuse pics
By NADIA ABOUT EL-MAGD
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Arab television stations led their newscasts Friday with photographs of Iraqi prisoners being humiliated by U.S. military police, with one main channel saying the pictures were evidence of the "immoral practices" of American forces.
The images, which document alleged abuses that have led to charges against six American soldiers, were first broadcast Wednesday night in the United States on CBS' 60 Minutes II.
The images shown on Dubai-based Al-Arabiya and the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera channels blurred the nudity of the prisoners.
The images were potentially inflammatory in an Arab world already angry at the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Arabs consider public nudity dishonourable.
Prime Minister Tony Blair's office Friday stressed that the incident did not reflect the conduct of the vast majority of occupation troops in Iraq.
Blair's official spokesman also confirmed eight cases of alleged mistreatment of Iraqis by British personnel were being investigated by the army's Special Investigations Branch.
"Where allegations are made, they will be investigated by the SIB, and that's what every soldier who wears the British uniform knows," the spokesman added.
Al-Jazeera introduced the pictures by saying they showed the "immoral practices" of the occupation forces. The anchor reported that some of those responsible would face trial and could be discharged from the U.S. army.
Among the images shown by the news channels were a hooded prisoner standing on a box with wires attached to his hands. CBS reported that the prisoner was told that if he fell off the box, he would be electrocuted, although in reality the wires were not connected to a power supply.
Both stations also showed a photograph of a female U.S. soldier standing by a hooded naked prisoner. The soldier, grinning at the camera, is pointing at his genitals, which are blurred out.
The stations also broadcast a picture of several naked men intertwined as if they were engaging in a sex act.
CBS said the images were taken late last year at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, where American soldiers were holding hundreds of prisoners captured during the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
In March, the army announced that six members of the 800th Military Police Brigade faced court-martial for allegedly abusing about 20 prisoners at Abu Ghraib. The charges included dereliction of duty, cruelty and maltreatment, assault and indecent acts with another person.
In addition to those criminal charges, the military has recommended disciplinary action against seven U.S. officers who helped run the prison, including Brig.-Gen. Janis Karpinski, the commander of the 800th Brigade.
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
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