Channel 4 'suppressed GI rape film'

A documentary on GI rapes during the Second World War, which its makers claim was "suppressed" by Channel 4 in the wake of 9/11, is to be broadcast tomorrow night. But the American academic whose research the programme is based on says it is being buried in an early-hours slot - 12.40am.

"Showing it during the 'graveyard shift' only allows C4 to say they did in fact broadcast it ... it gets C4 off that nasty hook," says Professor J Robert Lilly of Northern Kentucky University.

The Other Band of Brothers is an investigation into American soldiers who were executed, mostly for rape in England during the war, by British hangmen. It reveals that a disproportionate number of black GIs were executed, which even at the time sparked claims of racism in the American military.

The programme was finished in October 2001 and scheduled for broadcast in December that year. However, it was pulled from the schedules - apparently in the wake of the attacks on 11 September 2001.

Professor Lilly's research shows that GIs were involved in up to 12,000 rapes as they fought their way across Europe towards the end of the war.

His research also shows that black GIs were more likely to be accused of rape and executed than their white counterparts.