Another Iraq Prison Cited in Lawsuit

Another Iraq Prison Cited in Lawsuit

Tuesday May 4, 2004 10:46 AM


By JOSEPH B. FRAZIER

Associated Press Writer

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A Canadian civilian says in a lawsuit that he was tortured by U.S. troops in Iraq and saw Iraqi prisoners suffer even worse mistreatment, the latest allegations of human rights abuses to surface against coalition soldiers.

Hossam Shaltout, 57, claims in a suit filed with the U.S. Army Claims Office on April 30 that he was beaten after being taken to the Camp Bucca detention center shortly after the launch of the U.S.-led invasion.

``I saw Iraqis tortured more than I was. They did unspeakable things to Iraqis,'' Shaltout said Monday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Shaltout's allegations coincide with a larger scandal involving alleged mistreatment of prisoners in Iraq. Photos made public last week apparently showed U.S. soldiers humiliating Iraqis at the U.S. Army-run Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4051716,00.html

but also arbitrary imprisonment.

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In his complaint, Shaltout, a Los Angeles resident, claims one of his tormenters is among a group of reservists who have already been discharged after being accused of abusing prisoners at Camp Bucca.

According to the complaint, Shaltout had gone to Iraq before the war on behalf of a group called Rights and Freedom International, hoping to persuade Iraqi leaders to step down.

The complaint says Shaltout was arrested on April 9, 2003, taken to Camp Bucca and accused of being a speechwriter and ``right-hand-man'' of Saddam Hussein. He claims he was beaten after protesting his arrest.

The complaint also says $119,000 was taken from his hotel room in Iraq and not returned. Shaltout's attorney, Thomas Nelson, said Shaltout cannot go home because American authorities have refused to hand back his green card.

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How long before this story makes it to American media?