Torture is out of hand

U.N. expert says torture in Iraq is "out of hand"
Thu Sep 21, 2006 12:29pm ET
By Laura MacInnis

GENEVA (Reuters) - Torture is rampant in Iraqi prisons and police detention centers, and may be worse than under Saddam Hussein's rule, a U.N. human rights investigator said on Thursday.

"The situation as far as torture is concerned in Iraq is now completely out of hand," Manfred Nowak, the U.N. special rapporteur on torture and cruelty, told reporters in Geneva.

Mr. Nowak's assertion begs a question. Is there an amount of torture that the U.N. deems manageable? "Don't worry, guys. There's torture, but it's in hand."