Blair sees no ‘systematic abuse’ of prisoners

LONDON – British Prime Minister Tony Blair insisted yesterday there is no evidence of “systematic abuse” of Iraqi prisoners by British troops in Iraq, as the furore over photographs depicting the abuse refused to die down.

Speaking in parliament, Blair also declared that photographs in the British tabloid Daily Mirror purporting to show British troops abusing Iraqi prisoners are “almost certainly fake” – his strongest such statement so far. And he reiterated that until Monday, he had not seen an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) report, presented in February to the US-led coalition in Baghdad, detailing alleged abuses by US and British troops.The Daily Mirror photos, which began to appear May 1, purported to show British soldiers urinating on a hooded Iraqi male and threatening him with a rifle butt to the crotch.The newspaper firmly stands by their authenticity.Blair said: “There is no evidence whatever either of systematic abuse (of Iraqi prisoners), or of ministers or of anyone else refusing to act on allegations of abuse in respect to detainees in British custody.”On the contrary, the only evidence that has been presented are photographs that are almost certainly fake,” he said during his weekly question period in the House of Commons.The Daily Mirror, which editorially opposed the Iraq war, carried fresh allegations yesterday, quoting a reservist as saying that prisoners were routinely beaten or otherwise abused.”It wasn’t right… and it was condoned all the way from the top,” said the reservist, who was attached to the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment in southern Iraq last year.The regiment is currently in Cyprus.The reservist, identified only as “Soldier E”, said he had been “sickened” by what he had seen in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, where British forces are based.Soldier E, the fifth to be cited anonymously by the newspaper since May 1, recounted seeing troops take turns to assault one prisoner inside an armoured personnel carrier.”The decision was made to allow the soldiers to go in individually, one by one, into the back (of the vehicle) and beat this fellow up,” he said.”When it was my turn I refused to do it.I took off his sandbag and gave him water.His nose was half-way across his face.”Reacting to Soldier E’s claims, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “The abuse of prisoners is unacceptable and if any allegations are proven, appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against the individual or individuals concerned.”In parliament on Monday, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said the Daily Mirror photos, which have become part of a broader investigation by Royal Military Police, looked “increasingly like a hoax”.Doubts about the Daily Mirror photos have centred on the Bedford truck depicted in them, with the Ministry of Defence saying it was of a type not deployed in Iraq.- Nampa-AFPAnd he reiterated that until Monday, he had not seen an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) report, presented in February to the US-led coalition in Baghdad, detailing alleged abuses by US and British troops.The Daily Mirror photos, which began to appear May 1, purported to show British soldiers urinating on a hooded Iraqi male and threatening him with a rifle butt to the crotch.The newspaper firmly stands by their authenticity.Blair said: “There is no evidence whatever either of systematic abuse (of Iraqi prisoners), or of ministers or of anyone else refusing to act on allegations of abuse in respect to detainees in British custody.”On the contrary, the only evidence that has been presented are photographs that are almost certainly fake,” he said during his weekly question period in the House of Commons.The Daily Mirror, which editorially opposed the Iraq war, carried fresh allegations yesterday, quoting a reservist as saying that prisoners were routinely beaten or otherwise abused.”It wasn’t right… and it was condoned all the way from the top,” said the reservist, who was attached to the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment in southern Iraq last year.The regiment is currently in Cyprus.The reservist, identified only as “Soldier E”, said he had been “sickened” by what he had seen in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, where British forces are based.Soldier E, the fifth to be cited anonymously by the newspaper since May 1, recounted seeing troops take turns to assault one prisoner inside an armoured personnel carrier.”The decision was made to allow the soldiers to go in individually, one by one, into the back (of the vehicle) and beat this fellow up,” he said.”When it was my turn I refused to do it.I took off his sandbag and gave him water.His nose was half-way across his face.”Reacting to Soldier E’s claims, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “The abuse of prisoners is unacceptable and if any allegations are proven, appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against the individual or individuals concerned.”In parliament on Monday, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said the Daily Mirror photos, which have become part of a broader investigation by Royal Military Police, looked “increasingly like a hoax”.Doubts about the Daily Mirror photos have centred on the Bedford truck depicted in them, with the Ministry of Defence saying it was of a type not deployed in Iraq.- Nampa-AFP