Iraqi detainees tell of torture

BBC



Prisoners at an Iraqi detention centre opened up to journalists have told the BBC of widespread abuse.

One man said he had been whipped with a cable and then had salt rubbed in the wound, while another said his captors had tried to pull out his toenails.

The BBC was also shown inside a Baghdad bunker at the centre of a scandal over detainee abuse by Iraqi forces.

More than 170 prisoners were found there last week, showing signs of malnourishment and torture.

A government-ordered inquiry is under way and Interior Minister Bayan Jabr has said torture will not be tolerated.

But he has also brushed aside reports of abuse, saying they have been exaggerated.

There are calls for an independent inquiry from Iraqis who do not trust the government to investigate itself. There have been no findings yet.

The UN has expressed concern over the number of Iraqi detainees being held and the government faces growing international pressure over their treatment.