"It's just not something we would do"

Iraq Prisoner Report Concerns Watchdog
Sat Apr 26, 7:01 PM ET

LONDON - Amnesty International said it was disturbed by a Norwegian newspaper report that included a photo purportedly showing U.S. soldiers escorting three naked Iraqi men through a Baghdad park.

The U.S. Central Command said Saturday it is looking into the report.

In its report Friday, Oslo-based Dagbladet newspaper said four Iraqi men were detained by soldiers early Thursday after entering a park where weapons were being stored. It said the men were then stripped and paraded through the park before being pushed onto a street.

The story featured three photographs, including one showing a man with the words "Ali Baba - thief" scrawled in Arabic on his chest. The phrase is a reference to the classic tale "Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves."

One picture showed three naked men in the park with soldiers walking behind them. The soldiers were in a shaded area and it was not possible to clearly see their uniforms.

"If these pictures are accurate, this is an appalling way to treat prisoners," London-based Amnesty International said in a statement. "Such degrading treatment is a clear violation of the responsibilities of the occupying powers."

A Central Command spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the U.S. military was looking into the report.

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Charles Owens of the Central Command said he couldn't confirm the report, but if true, the soldiers would be disciplined.

"If they are under our custody, any public display goes against the Geneva Conventions. It's just not something we would do," he said. "That goes against everything we stand for and have been preaching against since day one."

On the Net:

Story and photos on Dagbladet Web site: www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2003/04/25/367175.html