Hundreds leave Abu Ghraib

2004-05-21 18:22

Abu Ghraib - Hundreds of Iraqi prisoners were released from the infamous Abu Ghraib jail here on Friday, some accusing their US captors of maltreatment, as an abuse scandal continues to dog coalition forces.

Some 13 buses filled with Iraqis left the gates of the notorious prison, where thousands of political prisoners were executed under president Saddam Hussein, as part of a scheduled release of 472 prisoners.

As the vehicles pulled away through the dust under the baking sun, female relatives of detainees, among hundreds who crowd outside the prison every day for news of loved ones, wailed out.

Prisoners pressed their faces against the grubby windows, straining to pick out their own relatives from the crowd.

As each bus snaked its way out of the prison gates, US soldiers battled to keep the crowd at bay. After everything I've heard, I'm scared for him," she added.

Later, three of the buses pulled up at the base of the paramilitary Iraqi Civil Defence Corps (ICDC) at Amariyah nearby, where about 60 former detainees got off, clutching blankets and bags.

The group were lined up to be checked in by US soldiers before being reunited with tribal and clan leaders, who are expected to vouch for their good conduct after their release, before being taken home.

Many said they did not know why they had been picked up. Others complained they had been treated badly. One claimed he had been ordered to clean his tent equipped only with a toothbrush.

"They treated everyone badly at Abu Ghraib. Sometimes they put the detainees on the ground and put their shoes on people's heads," said Abdulwadood Ahmed, who said he was a physical education teacher at Tikrit University with a PhD.

He said he had been picked up by US forces 10 months ago and accused of possessing weapons, being a member of Saddam's Fedayeen militia and attacking coalition forces.

During his time behind bars, he was shuttled between Camp Bucca in southern Iraq and Abu Ghraib, where he said conditions were far worse.

But most had complaints over their treatment, and many were furious at spending months inside both Abu Ghraib and Camp Bucca.

"They made me lie on the ground for five to six hours under the hot Iraqi sun with a sandbag on my head," said Abu Ahmed, who described himself as a government worker and said he who had been held since July last year.

Then, as soon as they were given the signal, the freed prisoners ran shouting through the gates of the ICDC base to greet their families. Their stories, none of which could be independently verified, a memory of the past.

- AFP