Danish troops charged with abuse

[Keevan_Colton]

A Danish army intelligence officer and four military police sergeants have been charged with mistreating Iraqi prisoners in southern Iraq last year.

Captain Annemette Hommel was charged with four counts of negligence while on duty in March, April and June 2004.

All five are accused of verbal abuse of detainees, denying them food and water, and forcing them to kneel in discomfort during interrogation.

Denmark has about 500 troops in southern Iraq, near Basra.

No date has been set for a trial. The defendants could face a year in jail if found guilty.

'Misunderstanding'

Capt Hommel, 37, who was ordered to return home from Iraq before her tour of duty ended, said she had done nothing wrong.

Last year, she said the allegations stemmed from a misunderstanding with the Palestinian translators working at the camp, who had objected to her interrogation techniques.

Jesper Helsoe, commander of the Danish armed forces, told Danish radio on Friday: "I will be the first person to apologise if the military has made mistakes, but the trial now has to take place. No one has been convicted yet."

Correspondents say the scandal shocked many in Denmark, where most people support their government's backing of the US-led coalition in Iraq.

BBC