Iraq leader attacks abuse claim
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has dismissed as “nonsense” the charge that the country’s rights abuses are as bad as they were in Saddam Hussein’s era. Former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi made the comparison as he called for prompt action on recent torture claims. Mr Talabani told the BBC modern abuses cannot be compared to the concentration camps and mass graves of Saddam’s time. Full Story