US inquiry censures lawyer

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AUSTRALIAN military lawyer George O'Kane has been censured by a US Army investigation for responding inadequately to early Red Cross warnings about the abuse of prisoners at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, a Sydney newspaper reported today.

At the time of the abuses, Major O'Kane was stationed at coalition military headquarters in Baghdad and was in charge of liaising with the International Committee of Red Cross and responding to its complaints, the Sydney Morning Herald says.

The newspaper reports that US investigators were unable to interview Major O'Kane and suggest attempts to do so were blocked by the Howard government. Major O'Kane also he failed to respond to written questions in time.

It claimed no Australian defence personnel knew about the abuse before January, but later admitted that Major O'Kane had seen Red Cross reports in October and November about the humiliation and torture of Iraqi detainees by their US guards.But he was banned by the government from appearing before a Senate Committee inquiry.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,10892477%255E1702,00.html