Critics denounce Iraqi PM over WikiLeaks material

[October 23, 2010]  BAGHDAD (AP) -- Allegations that Iraqi security forces tortured detainees, as described in new WikiLeaks documents, serve as a warning against keeping Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in power, his main political rivals charged Saturday.

The trove of nearly 400,000 WikiLeaks documents detail reports by the U.S. military of alleged abuse by Iraqi security forces after al-Maliki, a Shiite, became prime minister in May 2006. Such abuses were also widely reported in Iraq before al-Maliki took the top job.

The opposition Iraqiya bloc says the allegations demonstrate the need to ensure al-Maliki does not succeed in staying in office through the political deal-making that has dragged on since March 7 national elections that failed to produce a clear winner.

"The kind of practices and violations committed by al-Maliki is what makes us insist on a mechanism to participate in the decision-making because al-Maliki wants to have all powers in his hands," said Iraqyia spokeswoman Maysoun al-Damlouji.

"Putting all the security powers in the hands of one person who is the general commander of the armed forces have led to these abuses and torture practices in Iraqi prisons."

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh has declined to comment on the WikiLeaks papers, saying he has not seen them.

Most of the victims of abuse at the hands of Iraqi security were believed to be Sunnis, many of whom supported Iraqiya in the March election against al-Maliki's Shiite-dominated bloc. Although Iraqiya won two more seats than any other political group in the vote, it fell far short of capturing enough support to control parliament and, in turn, oust al-Maliki.

The leaked documents include hundreds of reports from across Iraq with allegations of abuse. In a typical case from August 2006, filed by the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. forces discovered a murder suspect who claimed that Iraqi police hung him from the ceiling by handcuffs, tortured him with boiling water and beat him with rods.

A "serious incident report" filed in December 2009 in Tal Afar said U.S. forces had obtained footage of about a dozen Iraqi army soldiers -- including a major -- executing a detainee. The video showed the bound prisoner being pushed into the street and shot, the Americans said. There was no indication of what happened to the video, or to the Iraqi major or his soldiers. The incident is marked "closed."

[Associated Press; By LARA JAKES and SAMEER N. YACOUB]

Yacoub reported from Amman, Jordan.

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