Australian troops in Iraq are being urged not to hand-over prisoners of
war to the United States unless they are certain their human rights will
be protected.
Former Human Rights commissioner Chris Sidoti says both the United States
and Iraq have been mistreating captured enemy personnel by parading them
before the media.
Mr Sidoti says Australia must meet its international obligations on the
protection of prisoners of war.
"When we know for a fact that American forces in Pakistan and
Afghanistan routinely hand over captives to other forces who are habitual
torturers with lists of questions that the Americans want answered, we
can have the gravest doubts about how they will treat prisoners of war
captured in Iraq," he said.
AND
Journalists' union condemns ADF
censorship request
The union representing journalists has condemned the
Defence Department's attempt to censor the Australian media over images
from the war in Iraq.
British opt not to enter Basra
A British spokesman says British troops would not enter
the southern city of Basra to battle irregular Iraqi fighters,
contradicting an earlier statement.
Soldier's death brings British toll to
20
British defence officials have confirmed a soldier from
its Black Watch 1st battalion has been killed in fighting in southern
Iraq - the second soldier to be killed in action.