US Iraqi-abuse suspects start court trial

Three US soldiers charged with abusing prisoners at Abu Ghraib jail face initial hearings in Baghdad today.

Three US soldiers charged with abusing prisoners at Abu Ghraib jail face initial hearings in Baghdad today.

Two of the three suspects to appear today face charges in relation to abuses depicted in some of the most widely circulated images - including a human pyramid of naked detainees, a woman soldier holding a detainee on a leash and a hooded man standing on a box trailing wires from his wrists.

The hearing today, at a convention centre built by Saddam, aims to resolve any outstanding legal issues ahead of the start of the court martial of the trio - Specialist Charles Graner, Staff Sergeant Ivan Frederick and Sergeant Javal Davis.

The start date for their court martial has not been set, but may be announced by the judge, Colonel James Pohl, after the hearing, and may last several days. All three suspects have yet to plead.

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The photographs of smirking US soldiers tormenting naked detainees rocked the US military when they emerged in April, prompting claims that policies adopted in President George W. Bush's "war on terror" had encouraged the cruelty.

The US army, keen to demonstrate it is weeding out the culprits, has launched investigations into seven low-ranking suspects in relation to abuse at Abu Ghraib, which US officials have blamed on a few wayward individuals.