Sivits Pleads Guilty in Iraq Abuse TrialBAGHDAD, Iraq - Spc. Jeremy C. Sivits pleaded guilty Wednesday to three counts of abuse in the first court-martial stemming from abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison.
Sivits was charged with maltreatment of detainees, dereliction of duty for failing to protect detainees from abuse, cruelty and maltreatment and maltreating one prisoner by escorting him "to be positioned in a pile on the floor to be assaulted by other soldiers."
Sivits took pictures of naked Iraqi prisoners being sexually humiliated at Abu Ghraib. He could face up to one year in jail, reduction in rank, forfeiture of pay and a bad conduct discharge.
Capt. Scott Dunn, Sivits' lawyer, entered the plea on his behalf and expressed concern about the huge media coverage of the trial, asking "can you make a fair decision?"
The judge, Col. James Pohl, replied: "Just because it's on TV, it doesn't mean it's true."
In an emotional description of the events that took place in the Abu Ghraib prison on the evening of Nov. 8, Sivits said he was asked by Frederick to accompany him to the prison facility. Sivits appeared to hold back tears and struggled to describe the events, pausing while telling the judge what happened.
He said he was on detail outside Abu Ghraib and had done some maintenance work on generators when Frederick asked him to accompany him to the prison. Sivits took a detainee with him and when he arrived at the scene wher the crimes took place, there were seven other detainees there.
"I heard Cpl. Graner yelling in Arabic at the detainees," he said. "I saw one of the detainees lying on the floor. They were laying there on the floor, sandbags over their heads.'
Davis and another soldier, Pfc. Lynndie England, were "stamping on their toes and hands."
"Graner punched the detainee in the head or temple area," Sivits said. "I said. 'I think you might have knocked him out.'"
Sivits also said: "Graner complained that he had injured his hand and said, "Damn, that hurt."'
Sivits said all prisoners were then stripped and forced to form a human pyramid.
Dunn also told the judge that Sivits had reached a pre-trial agreement with the prosecution, presumably to testify against others accused in the case.
Earlier, three other accused — Sgt. Javal Davis, 26, of Maryland, Spc. Charles Graner Jr., of Uniontown, Pa., and Staff Sgt. Ivan L. Frederick of Buckingham, Va. — appeared for arraignment in the courtroom at the Baghdad Convention Center, located in the heavily guarded Green Zone.
All three waived their right to have the charges read in court and deferred their pleas pending another hearing June 21.
Wise words we all should heed in this election year.
ping
I wonder if the fact that he took a (more or less) honorable route in pleading guilty is allowed to enter the equation. Even though I'm an avid Nelson Demille fan (he's written a couple of excellent novels involving military justice), it's still a mystery to me as to how it all works.
"If they actually committed such offenses, they should be executed," said Odai Ibrahim, 55, as he waited in a line with hundreds of others to visit relatives at the prison..."Some of the people inside have spent two years in prison and they are innocent," Ibrahim said. "The maximum sentence for the Americans is one year. Is that justice?"
Two comments:
Has Saddam Hussein been charged, tried and convicted yet? Why not?
"John, is this quick trial and decision a ploy to get this story off the front pages?"
"Susan, the Pentagon is insisting that this how military justice works, and that trials and decisions this fast are the norm."
Not all trials take year(s) like the on-going Kobe Bryant mess. The UCMJ does not suffer jury "shopping" either--officers and NCOs are chosen and they report for the case. Oh, and if it is a bench decision, the judge hears the facts and makes up his mind concurrent with his legal opinion.
What a concept.
That'll show 'em we is bettah than dem!
Good. I hope the rest get the max as well.
Frederick now needs to come clean about who in the chain of command knew about the humiliation of prisoners for sport. I suspect NO ONE knew but the 8 bozos involved, and I sincerely hope that the ranking NCO, Frederick, having recognized the severe damage he's done to his country and to the war effort in Iraq, will stop all the "taking instructions" BS that his family has been putting out, admit his instigation of the activity, and take his punishment like a man.
Sivits should parlay his new reputation into that of a rap artist, OR judge on the TV show 'American Idol.'
Need it to refute a leftie email I got this week. Thanks.
The Constitution of the United States (which so many today loathe and abhor) promises "a speedy and public trial" in criminal cases. This may have been the speediest trial that I have heard about in recent years.