Judge Advocate Michael Hunter who is presently hearing the case of three British soldiers accused of abusing Iraqi civilian detainees has urged for public officials and others to stop making comments to the press about the case. He made this comment without the seven person jury in the courtroom.

'I would ask that care be taken by those who find it necessary to make public statements,' Hunter said. Hunter is the leading judge hearing the case.

Hunter did admit, however, that Prime Minister Tony Blair 'could not sensibly refuse' to speak out about the photographs of British soldiers abusing Iraqi civilians based upon the present political situation. Blair publicly called the photos 'shocking and appalling.'

The three soldiers each face nine charges ranging from assault to forcing inmates to imitate sexual acts as part of 'Operation Ali Baba' near Basra. The soldiers have raised a similar defense to the one raised by American defendants on trial for the Abu Ghraib case: that they were just following orders.

Today, the trial entered its third day at the military barracks at Osnabrueck, Germany.