Iraq minister rejects claims of torture, death squads News
Iraq minister rejects claims of torture, death squads

[JURIST] Iraq Interior Minister Bayan Jabr [CBS News profile] has again denied [JURIST report] that he controls death squads targeting Iraq's Sunni minority and ordered the torture of detainees in a secret prison [JURIST report]. In a New York Times interview reported Tuesday, he dismissed the story of the secret prison, saying, "It's nonsense. Only a few detainees were punched and hit, and it wasn't a secret bunker." Jabr called the "prison" a complex known to American intelligence officially designated to hold the "worst of the worst" detainees held for involvement in the insurgency. Jabr promised to punish anyone involved in the torture, which he said occurred in the face of his orders not to mistreat prisoners and despite regular visits by American troops. US troops raided the site on November 13, finding about 170 detainees in need of water, food and medical attention. AFP has more.