British Officer Blamed for Prisoner
Abuse
21 January 2005
by Anai Rhoads
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AnaiRhoads.org - A lawyer
representing three British soldiers accused for abusing Iraqi detainees in
2003, is holding British commanding officer Major Dan Taylor accountable for
allegedly ordering the liberal abuse on the prisoners.
Joseph Giret is assigned as legal council for the three
Corporals - 33 year-old Daniel Kenyon, 30 year-old Lance Darren Larkin,
and 25 year-old and Mark Cooley, all of which are implicated of inflicting abuse on Iraqi civilians.
 Terrified Iraqi men forced to simulate anal sex while giving the cameraman a "thumbs up". Other photos show naked detainees performing oral sex on one another in the presence of seven servicemen.
The three men are accused of sexually humiliating and assaulting Iraqi
detainees, however Giret is charging that Taylor commanded the abuse
himself by arranging round-ups of Iraqi men in an operation he coined
as Operation Ali Baba after the story of "Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves".
 Fusilier Gary Bartlam. The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers served in Iraq with the 7th Armoured Brigade (aka Desert Rats of World War II) which was based in Celle, Germany.
The abuse was documented by five soldiers and later discovered
when Fusilier Gary Bartlam took the film that held 22 photos to be developed at the Max Spielmann photo processing shop in Tamworth, Staffs, England. The developer, 22 year-old Kelly Tilford, quickly reported the photos to authorities.
"You could tell they were being forced into it. The Iraqis looked absolutely terrified,"
Tilford told reporters of the Sunday Times of London.
 Max Spielmann photo processing employee who reported the photos, Kelly Tilford
"The first one was this Iraqi who was naked and being held up in this big net. This guy had nothing on at all and you could see he was scared for his life. He was being lifted off the ground by some sort of mechanical device."
 Lance Corporal Darren Larkin standing on a naked Iraqi detainee
Nine charges have been brought up against the three Corporals. Taylor
insists his superior, Lieutenant Colonel David Paterson, originally ordered the
capture and torture of the Iraqi looters.
 Photo of an Iraqi detainee strapped to a forklift while being driven around by Corporal Mark Cooley.
The film was actually brought in May 2003, but authorities waited over a year to deal with them.
In the United States, very little news time was dedicated to this story. The New York Times published an article dated 31 May 2003 that covered Britain's Iraqi prison scandal in under 400 words. Meanwhile, the Washington Post, a more conservative newspaper, neglected to publish anything at all.
More stories were published on Saddam and his sons, Uday and Qusay Hussein's torture methods than the U.S. and U.K. prisoner torture methods.
The hearing is expected to continue until some time in February in Osnabruck, Germany.
Previous Articles Relating to Prisoner Abuse:
Timeline: Army Spc. Charles Graner
Abu Ghraib: The Bush Administration Knew
Pfc. Lynndie England Charged
Bush Unapologetic Over Abu Ghraib Abuse
Disturbing Photos of Iraqi Prisoners Exposed
©2005 Anai Rhoads. Reproduction must be authorised in writing
by author only. Altering, redistributing, or selling this material is
strictly prohibited.
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