A previously classified US Department of Defence memo about the death of an Iraqi prisoner, Tanik Mahmud, was published today on the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) website.

The memo discusses the involvement of Australian, British and American military personnel in the capture, detention and transfer of Tanik Mahmud to an Iraqi detention facility known only as as H1.

The Australian Government has consistently maintained that Australian military personnel had no involvement in the detention of captives in Iraq. However, documents obtained by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) make it clear that Australia was deeply entangled in the capture and detention of Iraqis.

Despite repeated denials by the Department of Defence, new evidence is emerging that points to Australia’s involvement in the illegal detention of prisoners in Iraq.

‘The Australian Government has always maintained it had no involvement in so-called secret prisons in Iraq,’ the chief executive of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), Edward Santow, said today.

The Australian Greens Leader, Senator Bob Brown, today joined the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) in calling for a full and independent inquiry into the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) detention practices in Iraq and Afghanistan.

‘The UK and US have had open inquiries, but Australia has yet to publicly account for how it detains and treats captives in Iraq and Afghanistan,’ said PIAC chief executive officer, Edward Santow.

‘There are outstanding questions about Australia’s current operations in Afghanistan.