The Wall Street Journal got a copy of a confidential February Red Cross report, which was definitely shown to the Bush admiistration. Despite the story being in print this morning, Rumsfeld was lying and contradicting it during his testimony. ICRC says they will now release the whole but it’s not out yet, check back here later tonight.
Ap wire:
In Geneva, The International Red Cross said it had warned U.S. officials of abuse of prisoners in Iraq more than a year ago.
“We were dealing here with a broad pattern, not individual acts. There was a pattern and a system,” said Pierre Kraehenbuehl, director of operations for the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Answering a question many lawmakers have posed, he said the abuse went beyond detainees held at the Abu Ghraib prison in the Baghdad area.
1432 GMT – The Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross published a 24-page confidential report May 7 that details “serious violations” of Iraqi prisoners that were so widespread the report concludes the abuses were tolerated by commanders of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. Some of the abuses were “tantamount to torture,” the report states. Red Cross officials said the document — which was supposed to be confidential — would be issued in its entirely, after someone in the organization leaked it to The Wall Street Journal.
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