Free Republic

AgapePress) - A pro-family leader says the American treatment of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib may be deplorable, but that it doesn't offset the fact that America has the moral high ground in the war on terror. Meanwhile, a media watchdog group is calling several mainstream news outlets to task for reporting greater outrage over the prison-abuse scandal than for the execution-style murder of a U.S. citizen by Islamic terrorists. The grilling of Pentagon leaders, hearings featuring military leaders, and special congressional sessions to review picture of alleged prisoner abuse have dominated this past week in the nation's capital. Gary...

UMM QASR, Iraq (AP) - The U.S. military opened a hearing Wednesday into allegations that four U.S. Army reservists abused Iraqi prisoners of war at a camp in this southern port city. Possible charges include dereliction of duty, assault and maltreatment of prisoners. Three of the soldiers also could be charged with making a false official statement and one faces possible obstruction of justice counts. The hearing, being held at Camp Bucca, is the equivalent of a civilian grand jury investigation that will produce a nonbinding recommendation to be forwarded to senior military officials for a final judgment. The four...

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...