| Jul. 23, 2004. 01:00 AM |
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Misconduct condoned, report says Abuse not systemic, army concludes Washington—Thirty-nine prisoners have died in U.S. custody in Iraq and Afghanistan since the fall of 2001 and there are 94 cases of proven or suspected abuse, the U.S. Army says.New details yesterday in the army inspector general's report include evidence that troops conspired to make Iraqi prisoners jump off a bridge, that one interrogator hit a prisoner in the head during questioning and that a sergeant told subordinates to "rough up" detainees. Still, the report concludes there were no systemic problems that caused or contributed to the abuses. All of the wrongdoing was committed by soldiers who violated U.S. Army rules and regulations, at times aided by commanders who encouraged or turned a blind eye to abuses, said Inspector General Lt.-Gen. Paul Mikolashek.His finding contradicts an earlier report by Maj.-Gen. Antonio Taguba, who said military police at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison conducted "systemic and illegal abuse of detainees." The International Committee of the Red Cross also pointed to "systemic" mistreatment of prisoners. U.S. Senate Democrats, pointing to deficiencies in training and inconsistencies in doctrine outlined in the new report, fiercely challenged its main conclusion. "It is difficult to believe there were not systemic problems with our detention and interrogation operations," said Senator Carl Levin. The acting army secretary and its top general said they took responsibility for the abuses while insisting that they were not sanctioned by army leadership.Seven army enlisted soldiers have been charged with abusing detainees at Abu Ghraib. One pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year in prison and a dishonourable discharge.Associated Press Legal Notice: Copyright Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Distribution, transmission or republication of any material from www.thestar.com is strictly prohibited without the prior written permission of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. For information please contact us using our webmaster form. www.thestar.com online since 1996.
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