"A comment we always get in our detention program is that animals make kids respond so genuinely, " she explains.

CNN: Learning to read? Try talking to a dog

The detainee's brother urged the Foreign Office to ensure Mr Khalilov's legal rights were upheld and said the family feared his spinal hernia would get worse because of detention conditions.

BBC: Ex-BBC reporter Vugar Khalilov held in Kyrgyzstan

And the security forces, often under-funded, get things wrong: in February, the Philippines announced with great fanfare the detention of a terrorist holding no fewer than 104 passports, only to discover that he was a travel agent collecting visas for Muslim pilgrims.

ECONOMIST: Terror in the shadows | The

The Sunni political parties are telling Prime Minister Maliki that if he really is serious about reconciliation and moving forward in this new government and this new era that he should also get the Iraqi government to release the Iraqis who are being held in government detention centers.

NPR: Military Reviews Zarqawi's Last Moments