Amnesty International investigating claims US troops tortured Iraqi POWs

The Saudi who said he was given electric shocks told Amnesty he had entered Iraq from Syria to volunteer for the Iraqi Red Cross Society, according to the Boumedouha.

Some of those who claimed to have been tortured were civilians detained on suspicion of being Iraqi militia, he said. Some were arrested while combat continued but others were detained later, Boumedouha said.

They were held for up to four days before being moved to a detention center in Umm Qasr. All were subsequently released.

Boumedouha said the group planned to present its findings to British and U.S. authorities.

''We still have people on the ground in Iraq and we will continue to gain testimonies,'' Boumedouha said. ''Once that is complete we hope to provide a full dossier to present to the British and American authorities as well as publishing ourselves.''

The news conference, which also addressed issues of looting, the protection of mass graves and the responsibility of coalition troops to restore order in Iraq, was also attended by Amnesty's senior director for international law Claudio Cordone and media officer Judit Arenas.

http://www.boston.com/dailynews/136/world/Amnesty_International_investig:.shtml