Iraq detainees 'found starving'Iraq's government says it has begun an investigation into the alleged abuse of more than 170 detainees held by Iraqi security forces in Baghdad. The prisoners, many malnourished and some showing signs of torture, were found when US troops took control of an interior ministry building on Sunday. The US raid followed repeated enquiries by the parents of a missing teenager. Iraq's prime minister has promised to find those responsible for any abuse. Most of those held were Sunnis. 'Hard evidence' The BBC's Caroline Hawley in Baghdad says the discovery will not come as a surprise to many Iraqis. There have been persistent allegations of abuse by members of the Shia-dominated security forces, our correspondent says. But Sunday's discovery is hard evidence and officials believe it may be the tip of the iceberg. There are suspicions the building may also have been used as a base for a militia called the Badr Brigade, which has links to senior government officials, our correspondent adds. The facility is reported to be in the central Jadiriya district of Baghdad. Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari told reporters: "I was informed that there were 173 detainees held at an interior ministry prison and they appear to be malnourished. "There is also some talk that they were subjected to some kind of torture." He said the prisoners had now been moved to a better location and would be given medical care. The head of Iraq's largest Sunni political party said he had personally spoken to government officials about claims of torture in government detention centres but his complaints had been dismissed. Mohsen Abdul-Hamid told the Associated Press news agency he had been told the prisoners were "former regime elements". 'Systematic abuse' Human rights group Amnesty International welcomed Mr Jaafari's decision to order an investigation but urged him to expand the inquiry to cover all allegations of torture. Amnesty also asked him to make the results public. "There have been many reports of torture and maltreatment of Iraqi detainees by the Iraqi police and security forces belonging to the Ministry of the Interior such as the Wolf Brigade," spokeswoman Nicole Choueiry told Associated Press. "Amnesty International recently received information of four people who were tortured while detained by Iraqi security forces." Iraq's new police force has faced repeated allegations of systematic abuse and torture of people in detention by human rights groups, as well as allegations of extra-judicial killings. A report by pressure group Human Rights Watch earlier this year said methods used by Iraqi police included beating detainees with cables, hanging them from their wrists for long periods and giving electric shocks to sensitive parts of the body. Last modified November 16, 2005 |