News & Politics - Abu Ghraib torturer faces prison

- Jen - · 01-15-2005, 02:24 AM

Quote:

Abu Ghraib torturer faces prison
16:44 AEDT Sat Jan 15 2005

A sadistic soldier, reputed to be the ringleader in the shocking Abu Ghraib prison scandal, faces up to 15 years in jail, after being convicted of abusing detainees.

Photographs of US Army Specialist Charles Graner sexually humiliating and attacking prisoners at the prison near Baghdad shocked the world last year.

Bespectacled Graner, 36, the first soldier to be tried on charges arising from the scandal, claimed that he was simply following orders, but the Army jury came to a different conclusion.

The jury took less than five hours to reach the verdict after a four and a half-day trial in Fort Hood, Texas.

Graner will be sentenced later after a hearing was adjourned in the early hours when his lawyer indicated he planned to call at least two more witnesses.

It was unclear whether Graner, who did not testify during the trial, would be one of them.

Prosecutors depicted the reservist as a sadistic soldier who took great pleasure in seeing detainees suffer.

He was accused of stacking naked prisoners in a human pyramid and later ordering them to masturbate while other soldiers took photographs.

He also allegedly punched one man in the head hard enough to knock him out and struck an injured prisoner with a collapsible metal stick.

Graner, from Uniontown, Pennsylvania, was convicted of conspiracy, assault, maltreating prisoners, dereliction of duty and committing indecent acts.

Each count required that at least seven of the 10 jurors to agree for conviction.

In his closing argument, Captain Chris Graveline, prosecuting, said: "It was for sport, for laughs. What we have here is plain abuse. There is no justification."

One man who gave evidence, Syrian inmate Amin al-Sheikh, called Graner the "primary torturer", who laughed while attacking him, forcing him to eat pork and drink alcohol against his Muslim faith.

An Iraqi detainee told the court that he was among a group of prisoners stripped by Graner and other Abu Ghraib guards, stacked up naked in a human pyramid while female soldiers watched, and later told to masturbate.

"I couldn't imagine it in the beginning," Hussein Mutar said.

Thoughts ??

ceilirose · 01-15-2005, 03:34 AM

It's a start but I think the responsiblity for the torture goes higher than these enlisted soldiers.

They used military issued dog leashes and sand bags as part of their torture didn't they? I highly doubt the enlisted soldiers and even the NCO thought of this themselves.

Until we have a more intensive investigation into this issue it really won't be resolved.

TokyoNiGHTS · 01-15-2005, 05:10 AM

Everyone that was photographed torturing prisoners should be locked up. Then they should start investigating if it was really their choice or if they were told to (which I believe they were). Those people should be fired and thrown in jail alongside the people that were torturing the prisoners.

With that said, how crazy do you have to be to do something like this and then film take pics of it?

No1important · 01-15-2005, 11:14 AM

I hope he gets the full 15. I think Rumsfeld and Bush should join him.

Sparrowhawk · 01-15-2005, 12:50 PM

Gah, it gets to me exactly how little accountability is in our gov't anymore. It has gotten too big and blame is spread out among too many agencies that prosecution is impossible.

With this situation, in our command structure there is no way that these guys were acting without orders, not when you are talking a long term and recursive policy. Even the folks who were implicated by the photos say they were ordered and that torture was SOP. Who gets busted? The footsoldiers caught on camera. They are nothing more than patsys for the gov't.

**TheAngel** · 01-15-2005, 03:56 PM

I just heard that he got 10 years.

SuperDeluxe · 01-15-2005, 07:45 PM

Good. Prison is good for him.

***Jerry D*** · 01-15-2005, 08:16 PM

I'm glad that someone was held accountable for the reprehensible things that happened at the Abu Ghraib prison, but I feel that the blame goes much higher than Spc. Graner. It seems like a culture has been engendered that encourages this type of abuse, and I think that really needs to be looked at.

No1important · 01-16-2005, 04:02 PM

Well I hope his Commanding Officers are held accountable as well.

**TheAngel** · 01-16-2005, 05:28 PM

It depends on how high they can trace all this. Commanding officers getting charged for something that they aren't directly linked to (as in, they physically did it) it quite rare.

Sir Fireboard · 01-17-2005, 03:41 AM

I was absolutely sickened when I saw the pictures of those soldiers grinning faces while they were treating people like nothing. I'm glad this guy got jail, and hope others are found guilty as well. There's just no excuse for this kind of behaviour.


Fan Forum > General Discussion > News & Politics > Abu Ghraib torturer faces prison