Four US soldiers charged with abuse of Iraqi POWs

Yahoo News ^ | 7/26/03 | unknown

[TexKat]

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Four US soldiers serving in Iraq have been charged with abuse of Iraqi prisoners of war and are awaiting a decision on whether they will face a court-martial, a defense official said.

The charges mark the first time US personnel have been formally accused of mistreating Iraqi prisoners since the beginning of the US-led invasion of Iraq on March 20.

The names of the soldiers have not been released, but they are reported to belong to a military police unit that helped guard prisoners at Camp Bucca, in southern Iraq, last May.

"They have been charged with Article 32, which is basically like a grand jury in civilian terms, based on an investigation into allegations of mistreatment of POWs," Lieutenant Commander Nick Balice, a spokesman for the US Central Command, told AFP.

The charges are based on an incident that occurred at the POW camp on May 12, the nature of which Balice would not disclose.

But other sources indicated the soldiers, two of whom are said to be women, are alleged to have used unwarranted physical force against the prisoners.

Under Article 32 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, a commander of the unit where the alleged infraction occurred must have a hearing to review evidence and recommend a further course of action, according to defense officials.

"Certainly, there are several things that could happen," Balice explained. "It could be dismissed. It could be some other form of disciplinary action. Or it could a court-martial. It all depends on the determination."

He said no date for the hearing has been set.

[TexKat]

Open for your opinions.

[HairOfTheDog]

We'll see.... they are innocent until proven guilty, it is not beyond reason that someone, somewhere over there would lose their temper in this operation.

[Pikamax]

if they are guilty of anything, jail them. no argument here.

[F.J. Mitchell]

By whom were the charges made?

[realpatriot]

Two of which are women???

Are the POW's really going to pursue this?

[Brad’s Gramma]

I want the answer to that question, too!!!

[johniegrad]

Two women charged with physical abuse of prisoners is not a good sign. If they are anything like the women that used to run tugs in the Navy, they are probably gender chanllenged. This would be a good case for the Army to keep under low profile.

[mystery-ak]

It's hard to give an opinion when we don't have any facts...like what are they accused of doing?...I'll save my opinion until I know more.

[yooper]

Is Iraq a signatory to the Geneva Convention?

[Lijahsbubbe]

Beat up by a girl. That would be the worst humiliation for Iraqi prisoners. (disclaimer: no I'm not condoning abuse of prisoners)

[tazman3]

The Geneva Conventions, established in 1949, lay out rules to protect soldiers, prisoners, and civilians in war zones. One-hundred-ninety countries have signed the conventions, including the United States, Britain, and Iraq.

From this article: http://www.iraqcrisisbulletin.com/archives/032803/html/views_on_the_geneva_convention.html

[tazman3]

Two of which are women.

Ah hah, they probably got the snot kicked out of them by the women for calling them names or something. They obviously deserved it.

[Terp]

They were charged under Article 32 of the UCMJ. So it stands to reason they were charged by our military.

[meema]

No, Iraq is not a signatory. But we are, and we are held to a far higher standard than just about any other country.

[Destro]

I have read where Nazis claimed to their officers that the USSR was not a signatory of the Geneva Conventions (I do not know one way or another) and thus doing what the Nazis did there was OK...

[NutmegDevil]

If memory serves me, an Article 32 is a preliminary review of a situation. One isn't charged with an Article 32, one is under an Article 32 review.

[xzins]

My opinion is that the Army commanders expect prosecutors to have their act together. If the commander takes time out for this and the evidence isn't solid, then there is great annoyance on the part of the commander.

These troops wouldn't be there if some JAG prosecutor didn't have a really solid case.

I'll put my money on these troops getting some kind of punishment.

[Betty Jo]

Maybe the women raped them?

[rwfromkansas]

groan.....this will be the lead on the tv news now for a friggin' month.

[F.J. Mitchell]

Maybe I should have asked, who made the complaint from whence the charges ensued?