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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Lieutenant Colonel, Captain and Contractor Decline to Testify About Graner |
| 2004-05-19 |
| Three key witnesses, including a senior officer in charge of interrogations, refused to testify during a secret hearing against an alleged ringleader of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal on the grounds that they might incriminate themselves. The witnesses appeared April 26 at a preliminary hearing behind closed doors for Cpl. Charles A. Graner Jr., .... In the military legal system, witnesses who do not want to testify sign an Article 31 form in which they acknowledge that their testimony could be used against them. At a later stage, if the military decides not to charge the three who refused to testify, it could give them immunity in return for their testimony at a court-martial. .... The first government witness to refuse to testify was Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan, who as director of the Joint Interrogation and Debriefing Center at the prison oversaw the military intelligence operations. .... In a report on the abuses written by Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba, it was recommended that Jordan be relieved from duty and given a General Officer Memorandum of Reprimand. He was cited for "making material misrepresentations" to Army investigators about his leadership role at Abu Ghraib; failing to ensure his soldiers were properly trained under the "interrogation rules of engagement" and the Geneva Convention prohibiting prisoner abuse; and "failing to properly supervise soldiers under his direct authority working and visiting Tier 1 of the hard site at Abu Ghraib." Next on the witness stand at the Graner hearing was Capt. Donald J. Reese, who as commander of the 372nd Military Police Company was Graner’s supervisor. He also signed the Article 31 form and was excused. In the Taguba report, it was recommended that Reese be relieved from duty as the platoon leader and given a General Officer Memorandum of Reprimand. He too was accused of failing to train his soldiers in the proper treatment of prisoners of war; failing to "properly supervise" his soldiers on Tier 1; and "failing to properly establish and enforce basic soldier standards, proficiency and accountability." The last prosecution witness to plead the 5th was Adel L. Nakhla, a U.S. civilian contractor employed by Titan Corp. and working as a translator in Baghdad. According to a transcript of the Graner hearing, Nakhla "elected not to participate in the proceedings and was excused." In the Taguba report, Nakhla was questioned about what happened to several detainees who were suspected of rape. He said they were forced to remove their clothes and then were ordered by Graner and Staff Sgt. Ivan L. "Chip" Frederick II, another defendant, to admit they had committed rape. Nakhla said Graner and Frederick threw water on the naked detainees, called them guys who "like to make love to guys" and then "handcuffed their hands together and their legs with shackles and started to stack them on top of each other," the report said. .... |
| Posted by:Mike Sylwester |
| #1 In the Taguba report, Nakhla was questioned about what happened to several detainees who were suspected of rape. He said they were forced to remove their clothes and then were ordered by Graner and Staff Sgt. Ivan L. "Chip" Frederick II, another defendant, to admit they had committed rape. Nakhla said Graner and Frederick threw water on the naked detainees, called them guys who "like to make love to guys" and then "handcuffed their hands together and their legs with shackles and started to stack them on top of each other," So were these accused rapists the same ones in the naked pyramid fame? |
| Posted by: ed 2004-05-20 12:47:50 AM |