Howard Government 'knew of torture'

By Malcolm Cole
May 11, 2004
THE Australian Government was told at least two months ago that prisoners in Iraq were being tortured by US soldiers, human rights groups have revealed.

Amnesty International also raised concerns over the possible torture of prisoners in the US-run Guantanamo Bay camp last October.




But the concerns were dismissed by the Government, which said the US
had given assurances that "engaging in torture is against both US law and policy".





An Amnesty International spokeswoman said yesterday a report on the first 12 months of the war, issued on March 18, had been sent to several senior members of the Federal Government.

The report outlined examples of a prisoner who was "beaten, given electric shocks, suspended by his legs, had his penis tied and subjected to sleep deprivation".


It also accused coalition troops of using "prolonged sleep deprivation, beatings, prolonged restraint in painful positions, sometimes combined with exposure to loud music, prolonged hooding and exposure to bright lights".
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,9527408%255E421,00.html

"engaging in torture is against both US law and policy".

To refrain from an independent investigation. We *always* tell the truth. /sarcasm

They were giving their Minister of Defense a raking over the coals about what he knew and when he knew it. They're genuinely pissed like our Congress was displaying on Friday. So many times with this war, the UK and US are almost mirror images with events and reactions. Unfortunately, CSPAN cut the feed and went to some presentation at a hotel. :eyes: