Years after Abu Ghraib, US tells Iraq to improve prisons, stamp out prisoner abuse

US tells Iraq to improve prisons, stamp out abuse

GENEVA — In a U.N. debate, the United States has urged the Iraqi government to improve its poor prison conditions and to investigate allegations of detainee abuse.

The U.S. criticism came at a Tuesday debate at the U.N. Human Rights Council over Iraq’s human rights record, nearly six years after accounts emerged of U.S. torture at the Abu Ghraib prison west of Baghdad.

U.S. representative Douglas Griffiths also said he was deeply concerned about the violence against religious minorities, gays, lesbians and women in Iraq.

Iraqi Human Rights Minister Wijdan Salim said her country was trying to improve the protection of human rights while handling the country’s difficult security situation.