[JURIST] Pentagon records [PDF] made public Thursday by the ACLU [press release] through ongoing FOIA requests [ACLU materials] show that the US Army closed a criminal investigation of abuse allegations by an Iraqi detainee [JURIST news archive] last year without questioning any Americans involved in the case, ultimately finding no reason to believe the detainee's allegations. The unnamed detainee, a relative of a former Saddam Hussein bodyguard, claimed that he had been kicked and punched by interrogators and suffered other abusive treatment. The investigation was closed because records to refute or substantiate the claims could not be located but was later reopened after a review concluded that the investigation was flawed. A review of the investigation determined that the absence of documentation was "unacceptable." AP has more.

Previously in JURIST's Paper Chase...

• US Army Rangers sentenced for Iraq detainee abuse after guilty pleas
• Iraq detainee abuse problem worse than reported, US ambassador says
• Rumsfeld wants rules for reporting detainee abuse by foreign troops
• ACLU asks Gonzales for special counsel probe of detainee abuse