| Iraq abuse 'as bad as Saddam era 'BBC NEWS | Middle East

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Iraq abuse 'as bad as Saddam era':

"Former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has said that human rights abuses in Iraq today are as bad as those during the rule of Saddam Hussein.

In an interview with the UK's Observer newspaper, Mr Allawi said that Iraqis were being tortured and killed by secret police in secret bunkers.

He said militias operated with impunity inside the interior ministry and had infiltrated the police.

He urged action to stop 'a disease' spreading throughout the government.

The BBC's Chris Xia says Mr Allawi's comments appear to be aimed at setting the agenda for the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

'Contagious'

'People are doing the same as (in) Saddam Hussein's time and worse,' Mr Allawi told the newspaper.


'It is an appropriate comparison. People are remembering the days of Saddam.

'These were the precise reasons that we fought Saddam Hussein, and now we are seeing the same things.'"