Gen Sanchz 'aware' of prisoner abuse
US military denies the charge; coalition troops to enjoy immunity
Agencies, Baghdad
The US military command yesterday denied a report that the top US general in Iraq was present during some interrogations at the Abu Ghraib prison and witnessed some of the abuse of Iraqi inmates. The Washington Post, in a story first released on its website Saturday night, said a military lawyer stated at an open hearing April 2 that Capt. Donald J. Reese told him that Lt. Gen. Ricardo S Sanchez and other senior military officers were aware of the abuse at the prison. The military lawyer, Capt. Robert Shuck, represents Staff Sgt. Ivan L. "Chip" Frederick II, one of seven members of the 372nd Military Police Company facing criminal charges for abusing Iraqi inmates. Reese is the company commander. Sanchez stands by his testimony before Congressional committees that he was unaware of the abuses until he ordered an investigation into the allegations in January, according to the statement. Although Sanchez ordered the investigation in January, the scandal did not break open until late April, when CBS' "60 Minutes II" broadcast photos of American guards abusing and sexually humiliating Iraqi prisoners who were naked except for hoods covering their heads, including a group stacked in a human pyramid. American and British troops will continue to enjoy immunity from prosecution in Iraq even after the country's sovereignty is handed back to its people on June 30, a report said late Saturday. Coalition troops will be protected against any legal action despite widespread allegations of torture and abuse of Iraqi prisoners by the occupying forces, the Observer newspaper said, citing unnamed military sources. The concession was agreed due to fears that the legal situation in Iraq could become complicated following the handover of sovereignty, the British Sunday newspaper said. "We wanted to ensure that British troops maintained the immunity they already have under Order 17," a London-based official told the newspaper. Order 17 was an agreement issued by the Coalition Provision Authority which granted legal immunity to British and US troops in Iraq. This will now be extended to any foreign troops in the country after June 30, the Observer said. The Independent meanwhile reported yesterday that British troops in Iraq systematically beat and tortured a group of prisoners in the presence of an officer, contradicting claims that any abuses were caused by rogue soldiers. (AP, AFP, REUTERS)
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