London
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said this week that he did not know the specifics about allegations of British soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners until he saw them in the press. But the Red Cross says it gave the British government evidence of such problems at several British-run prisons back in February. The alleged British abuse consists mostly of hooding prisoners and is not as serious as the incidents at the U.S.-run Abu Ghraib prison. “I utterly deplore it,” said Blair, “but I think we should wait until we have all the facts.” Still, lawmakers in Blair’s own party have called for his defense minister to resign.
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