It raises the question what kind of interrogation, if any, is acceptable under modern international law?
Unpublished photos of the abuse of Iraqi prisoners have been shown behind closed doors to US Senators, some of whom describe the images as “disgusting”. It follows revulsion at shots including a grinning female officer by naked Iraqis, dogs straining at the leash as a prisoner cowers and a hooded man on a box with wires attached to him – all of which were reproduced in the world’s media. Lynndie England, the 21-year-old at the centre of the controversy and one of seven US soldiers charged with abuse, says she was ordered to carry out the acts as preparation for the questioning of prisoners. British forces in Iraq have also been accused of abuse, and Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon admitted the hooding of prisoners – a practice banned by the Army in the 1970s – was only stopped in Iraq last year. But if such actions are unacceptable, what techniques can be legitimately used by interrogators? After all, in some cases it could be that information obtained quickly from prisoners may be extrem
