First GI Faces Court-Martial Over Abuse

AP ^

[Happy2BMe]

First GI Faces Court-Martial Over Abuse

05:32 AM EST - May 10, 2004

The Associated Press


BAGHDAD, Iraq

The U.S. military next week will begin the first in a series of courts-martial in the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse allegations, trials that could bring new revelations on whether the mistreatment of Iraqis was an aberration or stemmed from pressure from commanders.

Spc. Jeremy C. Sivits of Hyndman, Penn., a member of the 372nd Military Police Company, will face a military court in Baghdad on May 19 - less than a month after photos of prisoners being abused and humiliated were first broadcast April 28.

Both the speed of the trial's scheduling and the venue in the Iraqi capital underscore the military's realization that it must demonstrate resolve in prosecuting those responsible for a scandal that threatens to undermine the U.S. mission in Iraq and President Bush's re-election chances.

Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, announcing the trial date, said the proceedings would be held in the Baghdad Convention Center, which houses the coalition press office, and be open to media coverage.

Bush promised Saturday that "we will learn all the facts and determine the full extent of these abuses. Those involved will be identified. They will answer for their actions."

Sivits is one of seven soldiers facing charges but appears to be a lesser figure in the case. Some of the others will likely face a general court martial, which can give more severe punishments than the "special" court martial that will try Sivits. His trial could produce evidence for prosecuting others believed more culpable.

Sivits is believed to have taken some of the photos that triggered the scandal. His father, Daniel Sivits, said last month his son "was told to take a picture, and he did what he was told." He said his son trained as a mechanic but found himself performing military police work for which he was unqualified.

The family said it had no comment Sunday morning.

Sivits was charged with conspiracy to mistreat detainees, dereliction of duty for failing to protect prisoners and maltreatment of detainees. Seven officers have received career-ending reprimands.

If convicted, Sivits could face one year in prison, reduction in rank to private, forfeiture of two-thirds of his pay for a year, a fine or a bad conduct discharge. Penalties could include only one, all or any combination of those punishments. Sivits will be able to chose between trial before a single military judge or a three-member panel of senior officers. He has the right to a civilian attorney and will have access to military counsel.

Several of those charged in the abuse have said they were directed or encouraged by Military Intelligence officers heading interrogations to "soften up" detainees before questioning.

In September, an expert team sent by Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller - head of the Guantanamo Bay prison facility - visited Abu Ghraib and recommended that guards help gather intelligence about detainees.

On Nov. 19, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top operational commander in Iraq, issued an order taking tactical control of Abu Ghraib prison away from the MPs and turning it over to the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade, the New Yorker magazine reported Sunday.

That policy went into effect over the objections of Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, another military prison expert, who said the change was "not doctrinally sound due to the different missions and agendas assigned to each of these respective specialties," the story says.

Miller - who in April was brought in to head Abu Ghraib in the wake of the scandal - defended his team's recommendations, saying last week that MPs' role in intelligence gathering was supposed to be only from "passive" observation, and he blamed Abu Ghraib's leadership at the time for not following military guidelines.

Months before the scandal broke, the International Committee of the Red Cross told top Washington officials it had problems with the treatment of prisoners in Iraq and at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, said Antonella Notari, chief agency spokeswoman.

She said ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger spoke about prison conditions during January meetings with Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz.

"He raised concerns regarding detention in Iraq, along with Guantanamo and other locations," Notari told The Associated Press in Geneva.

On Friday, the ICRC disclosed it had repeatedly demanded last year that U.S. authorities correct problems at Abu Ghraib and other detention centers. The Americans took action on some issues but not others, it said.

"We were dealing here with a broad pattern, not individual acts. There was a pattern and a system," Pierre Kraehenbuel, the Red Cross operations director, said in Geneva.

American officials have insisted the abuses at Abu Ghraib were carried out by a handful of soldiers who failed to follow procedures and were not part of a systematic program of brutality.

However, Iraqis freed from U.S. custody since the war began in March 2003 have long told of abusive treatment including lying bound in the sun for hours; being attacked by dogs; being deprived of water; and left hooded for days.

U.S. lawmakers have warned that the most repulsive photos have yet to be released and have insisted that the Army investigation should have repercussions for higher-ups, not just the military police accused of abusing detainees.

"I think command responsibility has to be looked at just as seriously as the abusers," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said Saturday in an interview.

[Happy2BMe]

"Both the speed of the trial's scheduling and the venue in the Iraqi capital underscore the military's realization that it must demonstrate resolve in prosecuting those responsible for a scandal that threatens to undermine the U.S. mission in Iraq and President Bush's re-election chances."

[Highest Authority]

Follow the stink up the line to a Soros money trail. Check out NewsMax and draw your own conclusion.

[ken5050]

Further denying reports that these courts amrtial would become a media circus, the Pentago reported today that Navy Cmdr Harmon Rabb would prosecute, and USMC LtCol Sarah MacKenzie would be the defense counsel..

[Happy2BMe]

Ping on #2 - Soros money.

[Happy2BMe]

What "APOLOGIZING TO MUSLIME" Will Get You!

U.S. CALLS FOR ARAB RETRACTIONS

[chainsaw]

In my opinion, this is an attempt, by the pentagon, to put all the blame on the grunts that followed their orders. Bush had better start climbing the ladder and finding the real guilty, "don't tell", general/generals. One/or more disgraced generals will clear up the problem.

[Ff--150]

Bump on the soros $$$$!!! Uh, sheeple, may i be blunt: this is war! Stuff happens... .

[MACVSOG68]

In my opinion, this is an attempt, by the pentagon, to put all the blame on the grunts that followed their orders. Bush had better start climbing the ladder and finding the real guilty, "don't tell", general/generals. One/or more disgraced generals will clear up the problem.

If you read the Tagabu report, you will see that several reliefs of command have already taken place with Karpinski and several field grade officers. Additional recommendations by Tagabu will certainly result in more. As for the grunts following orders, Tagabu noted several who either refused, stopped the illegal actions or reported them. So at least some of the "grunts" had sense enough not to follow illegal orders.

[ontos-on]

I think we need to know the answer to the following questions: 1. Who authorized the use of the tactic of disorienting and confusing the prisoner's sexual identity and sense of his relation to women, as a tactic for interrogation?

2. Did the same authority also direct or permit the photographind and video-taping of the events?

Wherever up the chain of command is the answer to #1, that person should be outed. I am relatively sure that answer is not high up the chain. However, how was these events permitted to take place in view of a considerable number of individuals AND why was there no self-consciousness about the videotaping?

My suspicion is that there is a mix of idiots at a relatively low level of command. But there is mixed with this an incredible absence of discipline and command.

These answers are necessary immediately. Without them, the speculation is damaging to our country, war effort and president.

[CPOSharky]

I just heard that the US soldier who tossed grenades into his own unit's tents is getting a trial soon. He did this over a year ago.

Where is the outrage over a muslim killing US soldiers?

But US soldiers embarassing a muslim is totally unacceptable?

[Happy2BMe]

Recent hearings by Senator John Kyl’s subcommittee on terrorism have exposed the growing dominance of a radical sect of Islam in the United States.

This sect, commonly referred to as Wahhabism, preaches jihad against Christian, Jews, and Muslims who don't toe the Wahhabi line. All 19 of the September 11 hijackers were followers of Wahhabism, as is Osama bin Laden. This violent perversion of Islamic faith has been responsible for terrorist attacks against innocent civilians — both Muslim and non-Muslim — all over the world.

As a movement, Wahhabism has established publishing operations, schools, and charities in many countries. The self-labeled "educational outreach" of this movement — financed largely by the wealth of Saudi Arabia, where Wahhabism is the official, and only state, religion — foments jihad and a fundamentalist theology to young people internationally, including in the United States.

And there have been a increasing number of instances in which Wahhabists have successfully penetrated key U.S. institutions, such as the military and our prison system. As several recent media reports have noted, the two groups that accredit and recommend Muslim chaplains to the military — the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences and an organization under the umbrella of the American Muslim Foundation — have long been suspected of links to terrorist organizations by the federal government. The Graduate School and another group accused of ties to Islamic extremists — the Islamic Society of North America — also refer Muslim clerics to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

Just this week, one of the key architects of the U.S. military's chaplain program, Abdurahman Alamoudi, was arrested and charged with an illegal relationship with Libya, long a state sponsor of terror. Federal investigators also have detained a Muslim clergymen who was once stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba — Captain James Yee — and is being investigated for potential ties to al Qaeda.

The New York State prison system promoted a Muslim cleric to a position that allowed him to supervise the hiring and firing of all prison chaplains. He was later removed from his job when officials discovered he was an al Qaeda sympathizer who incited prisoners against America. Jose Padilla, a terrorist accused of trying to build a "dirty bomb" to unleash in the United States, was exposed to radical Islam in the U.S. prison system. Richard Reid, the so-called "shoe bomber," was converted to fundamentalist Islam while serving time in a British prison.

On Tuesday, I chaired a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security that analyzed the procedures used by the military and prison system to recruit Muslims, particularly focusing on the cleric program. We also examined whether the instances of Wahhabi infiltration at key U.S. institutions may be part of a larger pattern. We heard from government witnesses on steps they are taking to confront these challenges and outside experts attesting to terrorists' efforts to exploit a free society to conduct the wide range of activities necessary for effective terror operations.

In response to our Senate inquiry, groups whose terror-related activities are being scrutinized by my subcommittee as well as the federal government have been quick to accuse investigators of Muslim bias. Falsely charging "bigotry," however, is simply not an acceptable response to serious allegations of criminal activity. Terrorists should not be allowed to disguise their hateful, violent activities under the banner of religious freedom. The fear of being falsely accused of prejudice, coupled with political correctness, may be part of the reason we got into the situation we're in right now.

America is a welcoming nation, and Americans are respectful of all faiths. It's time we confront the evil that has distorted and victimized the peace-loving, mainstream Muslim community. In the Senate, we intend to do just that.

— Senator Jon Kyl is a Republican senator from Arizona.

SOURCE

[joesnuffy]

Abuse....fits in nicely with America's touchy feely socialist nightmare lunancy themes 'domestic abuse' 'spousal abuse' 'child abuse' and now.....'terrorist abuse'

The question is ..imo..did this 'humilition techniques' come down from DOD...was the idea put in the commander's mind ..by a set of 'verbal suggestions' rather than formal orders?....They made sure only certain individuals got a 'get out of jail free card on this one'

Did the civilian contractors desire the terrorists to be mentally 'softened up' prior to interrogation?

Where these techniques effective in getting terrorists to turn on their muslims comrades and give up weapons cache sites...personnel running the guerrilla war against U.S. and coalition troops...

Did the softened up terrorists give the civilian contractors the intel needed to interdict supplies men equipment finances from outside sources...where they able to piece together the terrorist guerilla infrastructure...

If so then these techiniques SAVED U.S. Lives...and Iraqi lives...and are shortening the war on terror...

If you cant beat it out of them and you cant humiliate it out of them...then you arent going to get anything meaningfull out of them...they just have to outlast you...getting their three hots and a cot compared to living as they did...not such a bad tradeoff...

The men and women who are now being hung out to dry have been fighting for us for a long time...and were getting results...with humiliation techniques...

Now Rummie and Pres Bush run for cover...pointing fingers at what they now call "rogue troops"
yet none of the 'Civilian Contractor" interogators seem to be aware of what was happening to the terrorists they interogated prior to getting their hands on them?

Hang the little people out to dry...for political expediency...

Scapegoats of the empire...sacrificed for nation building....

Carla Faye Tucker learned all about it...a few years ago....

The two party cabal offers us Kerry as the alternative....how convienent...

[Happy2BMe]

Left Advocates Violent Attacks against "Military Targets" in United States
Little Green Footballs ^ | 5/8/05 | Unknown

Posted on 05/09/2004 1:51:41 PM PDT by 9MMHiPower

5/8/2004: Nazimedia: Attack US Targets

The San Francisco branch of Indymedia advocates violent attacks against “military targets” in the United States, in a post that was moved by the Indymedia overlords to their “hidden” area, but remains visible with a few clicks: Military Targets in the USA must be Attacked. (Hat tip: Rayra.)

UPDATE: The incriminating page has now been removed completely, after the Morlocks noticed referrals from LGF.

UPDATE: This is the text of the deleted Indymedia post:

Military Targets in the USA must be Attacked by al-masakin — Thursday, May. 06, 2004 at 7:13 PM

The torture of Muslim prisoners in Iraq in the “rape rooms” at the American Abu Ghraib prison confirms that the so-called American war on terror is really a war on Islam. George Bush has created a global gulag network of extra-legal and secret US prisons with thousands of inmates. This Gulag stretches from Afghanistan to Iraq, to Guantanamo and secret CIA prisons around the world. This Gulag exclusively holds Muslim prisoners.

In light of these revelations, Al-Masakin would like to take this opportunity to remind the American Muslim Mujahedin, and our allies in the revolutionary and anti-Imperialist left, that ROTC buildings, armed service recruiting centers, individual military personnel, and police officers are “military targets”. These institutions must be violently and covertly attacked. In fact, there are thousands of unarmed military targets walking around all over the United States. Outraged American citizens and American Muslims should have little difficulty making violent contact with recruits, cadets, marines, etc.

We strongly recommend that such contact be made with a very sharp knife, pepper spray, brass knuckles, baseball bats, firearms, explosives, or the bumper of a full sized automobile, truck or SUV.

Left Advocates Violent Attacks against "Military Targets" in United States

[Happy2BMe]

Rumsfeld said he took "FULL RESPONSIBILITY" in last week's congressional hearings.

To remove Rumsfeld would be a huge political victory for the Dems in a critical election cycle and would occur purely on political grounds motivated only to remove the Bush administration from office.

The resulting effect would be Kerry succeeding as the Commander In Chief - UNNACCEPTABLE solution.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

His father, Daniel Sivits, said last month his son "was told to take a picture, and he did what he was told."

I was told to push Jews into the gas chambers, and I would have gotten in trouble if I disobeyed.

I was told to shoot innocent civilians as a reprisal, and I would have gotten in trouble if I disobeyed.

I was told to stage a fake invasion to provide a provocation for a war of agression, and I would have gotten in trouble if I disobeyed.

Didn't we hear this "just following orders" excuse at Nuremberg?

[Happy2BMe]

Yes - it was all heard at Nuremberg.

And you make some excellent historic "he-made-me-do-it" examples.

I still say most of this is overblown hype desinged to discredit our military and the president.

[4CJ]

Bump on the soros $$$$!!! Uh, sheeple, may i be blunt: this is war! Stuff happens... .

Wonder if Soros donated/paid the porn site to stage the pictuces? It is war - dims will do anything to take back the White House.

[sinkspur]

The men and women who are now being hung out to dry have been fighting for us for a long time...and were getting results...with humiliation techniques

Were they getting results? Many former military (some of whom are on this forum) say these humiliation techniques DO NOT WORK.

Carla Faye Tucker learned all about it...a few years ago....

Karla Faye Tucker was not a "scapegoat." She axe murdered two people, and was made to pay for it by the Texas justice system.

You have a strange set of heroes.

[Ff--150]

"Wonder if Soros donated/paid the porn site to stage the pictuces? It is war - dims will do anything to take back the White House."

Ping! Ping! Ping! Jackpot!!!

And when this is "discovered" Dan Blather will break in the minute they find out![/SARCASM]

[sinkspur]

I still say most of this is overblown hype desinged to discredit our military and the president.

It's not overblown. General Abuzaid said, last November in a memo to Myers, that "this is very bad."

Blaming George Soros for this is lunatic conspiracy theory.