British Official Reports Torture of ISIS Detainees in Iraq After 5,700 Transfers
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jun 16
British Official Reports Torture of ISIS Detainees in Iraq After 5,700 Transfers
1 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jun 16
Summary
A British Embassy official told U.S. diplomats this month that a British ISIS detainee at Baghdad’s Al Karkh prison showed visible back marks and said "basically all" detainees had been tied and beaten.
The allegation adds to U.S. concerns after the Trump administration transferred about 5,700 Islamic State prisoners from Syria to Iraq early this year amid fears clashes could trigger prison breakouts.
An email said Iraqi officials moved some foreign detainees to another facility after the British official raised the abuse claims, where they were expected to receive improved treatment.
April State Department emails already recorded two U.S. citizen detainees reporting sounds from interrogation rooms suggesting mistreatment, while the ICRC warned of alarming tuberculosis, overcrowding and poor sanitation at Al Karkh.
The allegations, which POLITICO could not independently verify, are likely to intensify scrutiny of Iraq’s handling of thousands of ISIS prisoners, including foreign nationals, and of U.S. responsibility after the transfers.