Dutch soldiers did not torture Iraqi prisoners in early 2003, according to two official reports published on Monday.

However, the use of loud noise, of throwing water at prisoners and making them wear ski goggles which had been taped over was outside the military intelligence service’s authority, the Van den Berg committee said.
The claims that military intelligence (MIVD) officers tortured Iraqi prisoners were made in the media last year.
The Van den Berg concluded that the music, water and ski goggles had not been used to put pressure on prisoners and did not meet the definition of torture. The treatment could not therefore be described as torture or even humiliation.
In just one case, that of a Saudi prisoner, was the treatment humiliating and in breach of Article 3 of the European human rights treaty, the Van den Berg report said.
The committee was unable to say if an electric cattle prod had been used during interrogations in Iraq, as also claimed in the media.
The second report was published by the supervisory board of the MIVD.
More to follow