THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP):
Dutch military interrogators abused dozens of Iraqi prisoners in 2003, dousing them with water to keep them awake and exposing them to high-pitched noises and strong lights, a Dutch newspaper reported yesterday.
Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende told the national broadcaster NOS that "if this is true, it is shocking" and said the allegations must be investigated.
The report by the left-leaning national daily De Volkskrant was published five days before national elections, which Balkenende's centre-right Christian Democratic Appeal is favoured to win.
Responding to the allegations reported by the respected broadsheet, Defence Ministry spokesman Joop Veen was quoted as telling the newspaper that "things happened that did not go according to instructions."
Opposition Labour Party leader Wouter Bos demanded an immediate investigation. "It's dumbfounding, it goes against all the rules and definitely human dignity," he said.
"And what's also a shame is that the smell of a cover-up is gradually getting very strong here because this apparently happened in 2003.
(But) we're hearing about it just now," he said, comparing the allegations to the U.S. abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison.
"We all know, because of the example of all the things the Americans did in Iraq, how it can damage the reputation of a country if you become associated with these kinds of misdeeds," he said.
In the unsourced report, De Volkskrant said the prisoner abuse happened when Dutch troops were stationed in Iraq's Muthana province. The Netherlands had about 1,400 troops stationed in the southern province until their withdrawal last year. There are currently 15 Dutch soldiers still serving in Baghdad training Iraqi forces.
According to De Volkskrant, the interrogations were carried out by members of the Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service in November 2003 in buildings of the Coalition Provisional Authority in the town of Samawah, on the Euphrates River about 370 kilometers (230 miles) southeast of Baghdad.
