Red Cross said it demanded action on prisoner abuse before recent revelations

GENEVA (AP) _ The international Red Cross said Thursday it had repeatedly asked U.S. authorities to take action over prisoner abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison and that American officials reacted positively before recent revelations about the way detainees were treated.

"The American authorities took very seriously all our

recommendations," said Nada Doumani, spokeswoman for the

International Committee of the Red Cross, speaking from Amman,

Jordan.

The ICRC, which visits prisoners held by coalition authorities

in Iraq, had previously refused to comment publicly on conditions

at the prison or say whether it had discussed allegations of

prisoner abuse with U.S. officials.

 

"We were aware of what was going on, and based on our findings

we have repeatedly requested the U.S. authorities to take

corrective action," Doumani told The Associated Press.

 

ICRC officials noted that the United States had been taking

steps against some of the people allegedly involved in the abuses

of prisoners.

 

Doumani said the ICRC made an initial visit to Abu Ghraib prison

last summer, but that it made a thorough report to U.S. officials

after its first full-scale check last October.

 

"We are of course aware of the situation since we talk with the

detainees privately," Doumani said.

 

"We get testimony from them.

 

We visit all the premises in this place.

 

We crosscheck information we receive from different

detainees.

 

Definitely we were aware of what was going on in Abu

Ghraib."

 

Doumani said ICRC delegates have been visiting the prison, the

largest in Iraq, every five or six weeks since October.

 

The most recent visit was March 20, she said.

 

The scandal over treatment of prisoners began when U.S.

television network CBS broadcast pictures of smiling American

guards with Iraqi prisoners in humiliating positions.

 

That unleashed a huge international outcry.

 

The ICRC is designated by the Geneva Conventions on warfare to

visit prisoners of war and other people detained by an occupying

power.

 

It traditionally discusses its observations only with the

detaining authority so as to retain the trust of officials.

 

But when a situation becomes very public, ICRC officials

occasionally will go into some detail about what they have done to

explain how they have been working behind the scenes.

 

(NAMPA / AP)

 

The ICRC, which visits prisoners held by coalition authorities in

Iraq, had previously refused to comment publicly on conditions at

the prison or say whether it had discussed allegations of prisoner

abuse with U.S. officials."We were aware of what was going on, and

based on our findings we have repeatedly requested the U.S.

authorities to take corrective action," Doumani told The Associated

Press.ICRC officials noted that the United States had been taking

steps against some of the people allegedly involved in the abuses

of prisoners.Doumani said the ICRC made an initial visit to Abu

Ghraib prison last summer, but that it made a thorough report to

U.S. officials after its first full-scale check last October."We

are of course aware of the situation since we talk with the

detainees privately," Doumani said."We get testimony from them.We

visit all the premises in this place.We crosscheck information we

receive from different detainees.Definitely we were aware of what

was going on in Abu Ghraib."Doumani said ICRC delegates have been

visiting the prison, the largest in Iraq, every five or six weeks

since October.The most recent visit was March 20, she said.The

scandal over treatment of prisoners began when U.S. television

network CBS broadcast pictures of smiling American guards with

Iraqi prisoners in humiliating positions.That unleashed a huge

international outcry.The ICRC is designated by the Geneva

Conventions on warfare to visit prisoners of war and other people

detained by an occupying power.It traditionally discusses its

observations only with the detaining authority so as to retain the

trust of officials.But when a situation becomes very public, ICRC

officials occasionally will go into some detail about what they

have done to explain how they have been working behind the

scenes.(NAMPA / AP)

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