Iraqi prisons news stories on Newser

Iraq Takes Over Prison —and 4 Inmates Escape

John Johnson — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 11:39:57 CDT

Lock the cells, please: US and Iraq made a big deal of it earlier this month when the American military turned over control of the last US-run prison in the country. (See summary here .) But within a matter of days, four prisoners—three of them high-ranking members of the...

US Hands Over Last Iraq Prison

Emily Rauhala — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 05:33:36 CDT

The last American-run prison in Iraq will be handed over to the Iraqis today, marking the end of a massive US prison system that has processed more than 100,000 Iraqis since the fall of Baghdad. Tariq Aziz and other former high-ranking members of Saddam Hussein's regime were handed over...

Prisoners Raped, Tortured in Secret Baghdad Prison

Kevin Spak — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 06:07:00 CDT

They were hung by their feet and whipped, suffocated with plastic bags. If they passed out, they were revived with electrical shocks to the genitals. That's just a taste of the horrors prisoners describe in Human Rights Watch's report on the recently revealed Iraqi-run secret prison in Baghdad, where suspected...

Iraq Tortured Sunnis in Secret Prison

Rob Quinn — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 06:06:54 CDT

An elite military force answering directly to the Iraqi prime minister held hundreds of Sunni men in a secret Baghdad prison for months, Iraqi officials say. The detainees—arrested without warrants in military sweeps in October—were routinely tortured, officials tells the Los Angeles Times . Human rights officials overcame resistance...

Abu Ghraib Photos Don't Show Rape: Pentagon

Harry Kimball — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:05:59 CDT

The Pentagon denies a report that classified photos of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib depict rape and sexual abuse, Reuters reports. Britain’s Daily Telegraph “completely mischaracterized the images,” a spokesman said today. “None of the photos in question depict the images that are described.” The article quotes a former US...

Abu Ghraib Photos Reveal Rape: US Officer

Jason Farago — Thu, 28 May 2009 04:16:50 CDT

Unreleased photos of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib depict apparent rape and sexual abuse, according to a retired American officer who conducted an inquiry at the infamous Iraqi prison. Two photos depict the rape of a male and a female prisoner, while others show sexual assaults using a truncheon, wire,...

US Moves to Boost Cases Against Key Iraqi Detainees

Kevin Spak — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:18:45 CST

The US military has begun assembling evidence against 5,000 Iraqi detainees it deems most dangerous, USA Today reports, hoping to file charges that will stand up in court once Baghdad gains legal jurisdiction. Some 15,800 detainees remain in military custody, but when the Status of Forces Agreement kicks...

US: Do We Dare Turn Detainees Over to Iraqis?

Rob Quinn — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 07:56:26 CDT

The new security agreement negotiated with Iraq could leave the US military with 5,000 tough problems, the New York Times reports. US forces currently hold 17,000 Iraqi prisoners—including 5,000 considered dangerous radicals. Under the latest draft of the deal, the US would lose the right to...

Iraqi Insurgents Enlist Kids for Dirty Work

Jonas Oransky — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 15:54:00 CDT

Iraqi children are playing an amplified role in insurgent attacks, and the US is struggling to cope with the consequences. The ranks of minors detained by American forces have grown from 100 to 800 since March, the LA Times reports. Boys as young as 11 set off roadside bombs for...