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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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August 6th, 2006 - Hearing Dates
Set for Marines Accused of Iraqi Murder |
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Hearing Dates Set for
Marines Accused of Iraqi Murder Associated Press Mon, Aug. 07, 2006 San Diego - The Marine Corps
said Monday that it has set a provisional timetable to prosecute seven
Marines and a sailor charged with kidnapping and murdering an Iraqi civilian. The charges against the
eight, who are all held in the brig at Camp Pendleton, will be considered at
an Article 32 hearing, which is similar to a grand jury proceeding. The first hearing has been
set for Aug. 28 where only one Marine's case would be heard, said Marine Lt.
Col. Sean Gibson. The other troops' cases would be presented at separate
hearings on Sept. 25 and Oct. 18. "These are dates that
have been tentatively agreed to," Gibson said. A commanding officer will
determine at the hearings if there is probable cause to bring the defendants
to trial. Naval Criminal Investigative
Service agents claim that on April 26, without provocation, the troops went
into the rural Iraqi town of Hamdania, took 52-year-old Hashim Ibrahim Awad
from his home, tied him up, put him in a hole and shot him. After the killing, the
troops placed an AK-47 in Awad's hands and put a shovel in the hole to make
it appear Awad was an insurgent planting explosives, investigators said. The defendants could face
the death penalty if convicted. About a dozen Marines from
Camp Pendleton's 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment were under investigation
for a separate incident that occurred in November in the town of Haditha,
where 24 civilians were killed. © 2006 AP Wire and wire
service sources. All Rights Reserved. External link:
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