136 Iraqi POWs Return; Baghdad Alleges Torture

NICOSIA, Cyprus — A group of 136 Iraqi prisoners of war returned home from Saudi Arabia on Sunday with claims that the Saudis had tortured and abused them, Baghdad Radio said.

There was no immediate response from Saudi Arabia. Representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross frequently visited the Saudi detention camps and did not report such incidents.

Baghdad Radio, run by the state, said the prisoners decided to return after Saddam Hussein’s recent decision to extend an amnesty for deserters.

The Saudis have repatriated more than 70,000 Iraqis captured during the Persian Gulf War, but several thousand refused to return, some because they feared desertion charges.