|
The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
|
August 12th,
2006 - Doctors: Wali Died from Internal Injuries |
|
Doctors: Wali Died from Internal
Injuries By Estes Thompson Associated Press August 12, 2006 Raleigh - A series of kicks
to the groin could have fractured the pelvis and caused other internal
injuries that led to the death of an Afghan detainee interrogated in 2003 by
an ex-CIA contract worker, a pair of doctors testified Friday. "The most serious
bodily injury would be the two described kicks to the perineum, the area
between the thighs, and the hit to the abdomen with the flashlight,"
said Dr. Anthony Meyer, the chief of surgery at the University of North
Carolina hospitals, who added such abuse could also have caused internal
bleeding. Several Army paratroopers
have testified they saw David Passaro, a former Special Forces medic working
in Afghanistan as a CIA contractor, hit detainee Abdul Wali repeatedly with a
metal flashlight and kick him in the groin during an interrogation about rocket
attacks on a remote base housing U.S. and Afghan troops. Passaro is not changed with
Wali's death. Instead, the 40-year-old from Lillington faces four counts of
assault and, if convicted, up to 40 years in prison. He is the first American
civilian charged with mistreating a detainee during the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan. Dr. Reinhard Motte, a
medical examiner from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., told the jury Friday he believes
Wali died from internal injuries caused by the beating described by the
soldiers, which could have ruptured an intestine and caused an infection. "If I were to write a
death certificate on Abdul Wali, I would write blunt force abdominal and
pelvic injuries," Motte said. During cross examination,
Meyer said he couldn't give an exact opinion about what led to Wali's death,
since he had viewed only 12 photos of his body and heard descriptions of his
treatment. He told defense attorney Joe Gilbert he didn't have enough
information to rule out heat stroke, a heart attack or a self-inflicted
problem. "Bottom line is you
don't know why Abdul Wali died on the 21st," Gilbert said. "I don't know for
certain," Meyer said. But on further questioning
by prosecutor Jim Candelmo, the doctor said Wali could have died from an
infection or blood loss stemming from the kicks to the groin. "He most likely died
from sepsis infection or blood loss progressively over the course of two
days," Meyer said. Motte said during cross
examination he would have preferred to have results from an autopsy, but said
one wasn't performed and that Wali's body remains in Afghanistan. "The injuries are
consistent with what I heard here in the court the last two days," he
said. Passaro is standing trial in
his home state under a provision of the USA Patriot Act allowing charges
against U.S. citizens for crimes committed on land or facilities designated
for use by the U.S. government. His attorneys have said their client never
hit Wali. External link: http://www.news14charlotte.com/content/top_stories/statewide_news/?SecID=332&ArID=125077 |