Lynndie
This could get interesting.
US soldier's guilty plea rejected
A military judge has rejected the guilty plea entered by US soldier Lynndie England in her trial over the abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The judge said testimony presented to the court suggested that she did not know what she was doing was wrong.
Witness Charles Graner, who was jailed over the scandal, said he had ordered Pte England, 22, to perform some of the now infamous acts of abuse.
Pte England had pleaded guilty to the charges to receive a lighter sentence.
In many ways I actually feel sorry for Lynndie. It seems that she was swept along by the whole culture of abuse which characterises the shameful events at Abu Ghraib. It doesn't excuse her actions, but it places them in a context. The real story, in my opinion, is why have only junior ranks and one officer been punished? It is inconceivable that senior officers knew nothing. The only question is just how far up the chain of command did this go?
US soldier's guilty plea rejected
A military judge has rejected the guilty plea entered by US soldier Lynndie England in her trial over the abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The judge said testimony presented to the court suggested that she did not know what she was doing was wrong.
Witness Charles Graner, who was jailed over the scandal, said he had ordered Pte England, 22, to perform some of the now infamous acts of abuse.
Pte England had pleaded guilty to the charges to receive a lighter sentence.
In many ways I actually feel sorry for Lynndie. It seems that she was swept along by the whole culture of abuse which characterises the shameful events at Abu Ghraib. It doesn't excuse her actions, but it places them in a context. The real story, in my opinion, is why have only junior ranks and one officer been punished? It is inconceivable that senior officers knew nothing. The only question is just how far up the chain of command did this go?
posted by phylos @ 18:38
1 Comments:
I found it interesting that in an interview, Lynndie's parents said "How should Lynndie know what the Geneva convention says, is and isn't allowed"
Hell, I know what is and isn't allowed and my nieces and nephews have a basic grasp on how people should be treated. Do they not teach soldiers the basics rules of engagement before they give them a gun and send them to sit in a fox hole?
Yes, they should be looking further up the chain of command, and investigating the reasons these soldiers acted the way they did. But the fact that pictures were taken, even if staged, is still enough proof of misstreatment!
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