NYT: At (Abu Ghraib) Abuse Hearing, No Testimony That GIs Acted on Orders

[DeepModem Mom]

PRISON SCANDAL
At Abuse Hearing, No Testimony That G.I.'s Acted on Orders
By KATE ZERNIKE

Published: August 7, 2004


FORT BRAGG, N.C., Aug. 6 - In the three months since photographs of detainees in sexually humiliating positions triggered the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal, the soldiers charged with mistreatment have defended themselves by saying they were simply following orders.

But as of the end of testimony here on Friday in a military court hearing for Pfc. Lynndie R. England - the last, the longest and the most closely watched of the proceedings to determine whether the seven soldiers should be court-martialed - there have been no witnesses and no evidence to back up that central assertion.

Witnesses, more than 25 for Private England's hearing alone, have described a prison in chaos, where military police even ran a prostitution and liquor ring. Soldiers often did not know who was in charge or how they were supposed to treat detainees. Prisoners were left naked for long periods as punishment and were at least occasionally abused, in one case leading to a death from what investigators called trauma to the head.

Yet no one has said there were direct orders to carry out the treatment seen in photos, or even, as Private England has told investigators, that the military police soldiers were encouraged to "keep it up" as a way of encouraging better interrogations....


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/07/international/middleeast/07abuse.html

[thebigidea]

1. golly, kind of a misleading headline

considering you have to read to the end to find the contradictions and ever-so-slippery MI stuff.

This looks like a job for... Seymour Hersh!



His book is coming out soon, that should cause a stir.

[DeepModem Mom]

3. Stories coming out of this hearing have been strange,w/ differing messages

and focuses. It's hard to figure out what's happening. Good thinking on Hersh -- he should give us the straight story.

[nodictators]

4. Yeah, shouldn't the headline be...

"No Testimony ALLOWED That GIs Acted on Orders"

Seems that I read elsewhere that Lynndie's lawyer was not allowed to call some Military Intelligence and commissioned officers.

[mom cat]

5. Thank you for that necessary correction.

:yourock:

[saigon68]

2. SO WHO KILLED THE GUY ??????????????????????

and WHY???????? is that person not on trial for MURDER


THIS IS ALL A WHITEWASH

SUPPORT THE TROOPS.



THE LOVELY SABRINA WITH "HER" TOY CORPSE.