Iraq, Politics, 5/17/2003

A representative of the first mission of the Amnesty International to Iraq since the end of the war, Saeed Bumedha, has announced that Iraqi civic and military prisoners were tortured by the British and American forces.

Bumedha said that Amnesty International interrogated 20 prisoners separately and all of them gave similar testimonies on the maltreatment and torture during their detention in al-Nasereyah and al-Basra. He added in a press conference held in London that those prisoners were exposed to beating."

He continued that electric shock was used in certain cases against one man while other persons were beaten for one night and are still vulnerable to beating and breaking of their teeth. He added "I think we can talk about torture operations." He for instance indicated in this regard to a Saudi fighter thought to be an "Arab volunteer in the war" (against the US invasion).