An Abu Ghraib guide, with links, news, and comments. Beginning in 2004, accounts of abuse, torture, sodomy and homicide of prisoners held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq (also known as Baghdad Correctional Facility) came to public...
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An Abu Ghraib guide, with links, news, and comments. Beginning in 2004, accounts of abuse, torture, sodomy and homicide of prisoners held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq (also known as Baghdad Correctional Facility) came to public attention. The acts were committed by some personnel of the 372nd Military Police Company of the United States Army together with additional American governmental agencies. These additional agencies have been referred to as the OGA (Other Government Agencies), which is an often used euphemism for the Central Intelligence Agency.
Eager to dispel its image as a rights abuser after "war on terror" prison scandals, the US has opened a new Afghan jail that critics say still falls short of basic legal standards. The new Parwan Detention Facility has been built at the Bagram military base, 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Kabul, where it will begin taking 640 inmates from a tented camp elsewhere on the base by the end of the month. The prison will be run by Brigadier General Mark Martins, a US military lawyer who believes... Read Full Story
The US House of Representatives voted Thursday to prevent the transfer of detainees from Guantanamo Bay to the United States, creating another potential obstacle to President Barack Obama's plan to close the facility. The measure, sponsored by Republican Representative Harold Rogers as part of the 2010 Homeland Security Department budget, passed by a vote of 258 to 163, attracting support from nearly all the chamber's Republicans, as well as 88 Democrats. "For nine months, the Obama... Read Full Story
The female soldier who was photographed at Abu Ghraib prison giving a smiling "thumbs-up" beside a pyramid of naked detainees is appealing her convictions to the U.S. military's highest court. Former Army Reserve Specialist Sabrina Harman, of Lorton, Va., was sentenced to six months behind bars for her role in the abuses that occurred six years ago at the prison in Iraq. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces scheduled arguments Wednesday on whether there was enough evidence to... Read Full Story
A female soldier who was photographed at Abu Ghraib prison giving a smiling "thumbs-up" beside a pyramid of naked detainees says she hopes her appeal to the military's highest court will exonerate all whose reputations were tarnished by the scandal. Former Army Reserve Specialist Sabrina Harman spoke to The Associated Press before her hearing Wednesday in Washington in front of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. Her attorney told the court that Harman, of Lorton, Va., shouldn't... Read Full Story
The U.S. military's highest court is scheduled to hear the appeal of a former Army dog handler convicted in the abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The case of former Sgt. Michael J. Smith is the first one in the scandal to go before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces in Washington. Military jurors previously found that Smith let his unmuzzled Belgian shepherd threaten three detainees at the prison. They also found the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., man conspired with... Read Full Story
By Associated Press October 15, 2009, 12:18AM DAVID DISHNEAU, Associated Press WASHINGTON — A soldier who was photographed giving a smiling "thumbs-up" beside a pyramid of naked Abu Ghraib detainees should have her criminal conviction overturned because parading prisoners in the nude was apparently U.S.Army policy, her lawyer told the military's highest court Wednesday. Defense attorney Frank J. Spinner also told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces it was like "a fraternity-type... Read Full Story
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Friday dismissed a lawsuit against two U.S. defense contractors by Iraqi torture victims, saying the companies had immunity as government contractors. The lawsuit was filed in 2004 on behalf of Iraqi nationals who say they or their relatives had been tortured or mistreated while detained by the U.S. military at the Abu Ghraib prison. The plaintiffs sued CACI International Inc, which provided interrogators at Abu Ghraib, and L-3 Communications... Read Full Story
Scandalous photographs of contractors at the US embassy in Kabul Monday could hurt US interests in the same way as images of abuse in Iraqi prisons, the head of a US investigating panel said Monday. "This is the equivalent of Abu Ghraib," said Dov Zakheim, who chairs the Congress-appointed commission on war-time contracts, referring to the notorious photos of abuse at the US-run jail in Baghdad which emerged in 2004. Samuel Brinkley, the vice-president of Wackenhut Services, appeared before... Read Full Story
The U.S. military's highest court is set to hear appeals next month of two cases stemming from the abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. On Oct. 8, Pvt. Michael Smith will challenge his conviction for having his dog bark and lunge at detainees for fun. Six days later, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces will hear Pvt. Sabrina Harman's appeal. Her offenses include participating in a photographed incident in which a hooded detainee stood on a box while holding wires that... Read Full Story
A federal appeals court has dismissed a lawsuit claiming contractors for defense firm CACI International Inc. abused detainees at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. In a 2-1 ruling, the D.C. Court of Appeals said the firm is protected by laws barring suits filed as the result of military activities during a time of war. CACI provided interrogators at the prison in late 2003, when much of the abuse there happened. The Arlington, Va.-based firm has defended the integrity of its work at... Read Full Story
