US Army releases Iraq prisoner abuse documents News
US Army releases Iraq prisoner abuse documents

[JURIST] In response to a Freedom of Information lawsuit [ACLU backgrounder and materials] by the American Civil Liberties Union [official website] over prisoner abuse in Iraq, the US Army released 1200 pages of documents on Friday. The documents cover 13 investigations into prisoner abuse that resulted in no charges due to insufficient evidence. At the center of the controversy is a DVD entitled "Ramadi Madness," [ACLU press release] a compilation of recordings made by a unit of the Florida National Guard [official website] posted to Iraq in 2003 and early 2004. Though the video itself was not released, Army documents decribe "inappropriate rather than criminal behavior," including kicking an injured Iraqi soldier and manipulating the dead body of an Iraqi killed after running a checkpoint. Over 100 investigations remain open in relation to Iraq prisoner abuse. The ACLU says it will post the released document to its website on Monday. AP has more.