DOCUMENT: Crime

Red Cross Report Details Iraqi "Torture"

February report describes brutal U.S. interrogation tactics

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Red Cross Report Details Iraqi "Torture"

MAY 10--A Red Cross report contends that mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners was widespread and not just "individual acts" as repeatedly claimed by President George Bush. Noting that various "methods of physical and psychological coercion" used by military officials were "tantamount to torture," the International Committee of the Red Cross concluded that many detainees had been deprived of their liberty in violation of the Geneva Conventions. As first reported by The Wall Street Journal, the 24-page ICRC report--which was provided in February to U.S. commanders--concludes that the harsh tactics were directed at Iraqis thought to have an intelligence value. As seen in the below excerpts, the Red Cross report details the interrogation methods used in facilities like the notorious Abu Ghraib prison, where military intelligence officers plied their trade. The ICRC document also describes conditions at Baghdad International Airport, where more than 100 "high value detainees" (think playing card faces) are held in solitary confinement 23 hours a day. (5 pages)