US Army officials in Iraq tried to curtail Red Cross spot inspections at Abu Ghraib prison late last year after a report by the aid group detailing prisoner abuse was presented to military headquarters in Baghdad, the New York Timesreported today.
After the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) presented its report complaining of prisoner abuse in one cellblock in November based on two surprise inspections, the US military told ICRC inspectors they should make appointments before visiting the cellblock, the Timessaid in the report, citing a senior army officer.
That cellblock was the site of the worse abuse, the Timessaid. The Red Cross inspectors witnessed or heard about such practices as holding prisoners naked in dark concrete cells for days and forcing them to wear women's underwear on their heads while being paraded and photographed.
The November Red Cross report is the earliest known formal evidence given to military officials in Baghdad before criminal investigators were given pictures in January showing the abuse.
The senior army officer told the Times the military did not start a criminal investigation before its reply to the Red Cross on December 24th. Until now, the army has described its response to the Red Cross on December 24th as evidence that it was prompt in confronting the its report of prisoner abuse, the newspaper said.
A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on the report.