Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Ali Shalah, the hooded Iraqi prisoner in the most iconic picture from Abu Ghraib prison, described his harrowing experience during a conference in Malaysia this week. Arrested in 2003, Shalah said his American captors beat him, deprived him of sleep, and pelted him with human waste. On three occasions, he said, he was hooded and placed on a box, his outstretched arms attached to electrodes. “As the electric current entered my whole body, I felt as if my eyes were being forced out and sparks were flying out,” Shalah said. “My teeth were clattering violently and my legs shaking violently as well.” After a few months, he said, U.S. soldiers realized he was not an insurgent and let him go without an apology. He now heads a group that advocates for Iraqi torture victims. Eleven enlisted personnel have been convicted of charges stemming from abuses at Abu Ghraib. Several officers have been reprimanded, while charges against one are pending.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Today's political cartoons - April 1, 2025Cartoons Tuesday's cartoons - trade wars, tax deadlines, and more
-
The ETA: how new UK travel rules may affect youThe Explainer Full roll-out of Britain's new travel scheme is designed to be easy, but some have already faced problems
-
Arts on prescription: why doctors are prescribing museums and comedyIn The Spotlight Stressed-out patients in Switzerland are being prescribed a trip to the museum to boost their mental wellbeing
