Former Abu Ghraib Prisoner Alleges Torture by Electric Shock on PBS' NOW

Former Abu Ghraib Prisoner Alleges Torture by Electric Shock on PBS' NOW

NEW YORK, April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, the PBS weekly newsmagazine NOW will air a report that includes allegations by a former Abu Ghraib prisoner that he was subjected to torture by electric shock. It is the first time on American television that an Abu Ghraib prisoner has made such claims.

In the program, which airs Friday, April 29, 2005 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), Haj Ali Shallal Abbas, a former prisoner who says he was the man under the black hood in the infamous photo from Abu Ghraib, describes the torture in detail. "They made me stand on a box with my hands hooked to wires and shocked me with electricity. It felt like my eyeballs were coming out of their sockets," he says. "I fell, and they put me back up again for more. Once, I bit my tongue so hard, my mouth was full of blood."

The NOW report, hosted by David Brancaccio from the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, examines the legal and human rights issues surrounding America's policy on holding and interrogating suspected terrorists and asks whether America has done enough to investigate and bring people to justice.

NOW airs Friday nights at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) and is a production of JumpStart Productions, LLC in association with Thirteen/WNET New York.

Still images and video clips from the broadcast are available to members of the press.

PRESS CONTACT: Rick Byrne NOW Ph: 212.560.8406 Email: ByrneR@thirteen.org

Source: NOW

CONTACT: Rick Byrne of NOW, +1-212-560-8406, ByrneR@thirteen.org

Web site: http://www.pbs.org/now

------- Profile: Ent