U.S. Army Officer Cleared in Abu Ghraib Case
The disgrace brought on the U.S. by members of the military who participated in the abuse of prisoners at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison will likely linger for some time, but one of the key Army figures involved in the case, Lt. Col. Steven Jordan (pictured), has been cleared of any serious charges from the 2003 scandal.
The disgrace brought on the U.S. by members of the military who participated in the abuse of prisoners at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison will likely linger for some time, but one of the key Army figures involved in the case, Lt. Col. Steven Jordan (pictured), has been cleared of any serious charges from the 2003 scandal.
Wait, before you go…AFP:
After a week-long court martial in August, Lieutenant Colonel Steven Jordan, 51, who oversaw the Abu Ghraib interrogations centre from September to December 2003, was acquitted of the most serious charges of mistreating prisoners and dereliction of duty.
He walked free with just a fine and a judicial reprimand for disobeying an order not to discuss the scandal with any colleague.
On Tuesday, however, General Richard Rowe, commanding general of the US Army Military District of Washington, who headed the court martial of Jordan, “disapproved the guilty finding and the sentence,” an Army statement said.
“In light of the nature of the offence Jordan had been found guilty of committing and the substantial evidence in mitigation presented at trial and in post-trial matters submitted by defence counsel, Rowe determined that an administrative reprimand was a fair and appropriate disposition of the matter,” it added.
If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.
Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.
Support Truthdig
George Orwell warned that a “lack of precision” in language can destabilize entire societies. America's 45th president is living proof.
American intelligence agencies are the nation’s enemy from within and the Praetorian Guard of sinister forces.
Aggressive policing, mass incarceration and inhumane detention facilities are products of overseas empire—imperial chickens come home to roost.
Not that Americans are paying attention, but there are important lessons to heed from the collapse of democracy in Egypt.
If we care about our civil liberties, we owe it to ourselves to defend our whistleblowers, whatever we may think about them personally.
The government has failed to learn crucial lessons from prior war crimes. The American people will pay the price.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.