Amnesty International says detainees in Iraqi prisons often go years without trial and face widespread torture and abuse.
In a report the human rights group accuses Iraqi security forces of systematically violating the rights of detainees. It claims 30,000 detainees are being held there without trial.
Amnesty said the use of torture to extract confessions in Iraq was routine and the confessions were frequently used as evidence in court.
The group also claimed some detainees had died while in prison, apparently as the result of torture or ill-treatment.
The BBC reports that a US military spokesperson rejected the criticism and there's been no response from the Iraqi government.
