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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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April 24th,
2007 - NCIS Misconduct Alleged in Haditha Probe |
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NCIS Misconduct Alleged in
Haditha Probe By Mark Walker North County Times April 24, 2007 11:11 AM PDT Attorneys for the
highest-ranking man charged with wrongdoing arising out of the slaying of 24
Iraqi civilians in 2005 are asking Navy Secretary Donald Winter to conduct an
investigation of how his agents treated Marine witnesses and suspects. "There are disturbing
reports that American servicemen were treated like POWs by their own
government," said Richard Thompson, president of the Thomas More Law
Center, a Michigan group defending Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani. "This
entire investigation has been nothing but a political witch hunt instigated
by insurgent propaganda operatives, anti-war media and anti-war
politicians." Chessani is charged with
dereliction of duty and violation of a lawful order for how he handled the
initial investigation and reporting of the deaths that occurred in the city
of Haditha on Nov. 19, 2005. Three other officers face
similar allegations and three enlisted men face murder charges in connection
with the deaths. All the accused are from Camp Pendleton's 3rd Battalion, 1st
Marine Regiment. The complaint contends that
Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents engaged in what Chessani's
attorneys say were improper and unconstitutional interrogation methods. Some of the interview and
interrogation sessions that took place in Iraq in early 2006 lasted as long
as 18 hours, during which the men being questioned were not allowed anything
to eat, drink or use the bathroom, according to the complaint. A spokesman for the criminal
investigative service in Washington was reviewing the complaint and had no
immediate response. Brian Rooney, an attorney
for Chessani, said a letter was sent to Winter today asking for the
investigation. The way the civilian law
enforcement agents conducted the probe was like "having the verdict
first and the trial second," Rooney said during a telephone interview
Tuesday morning. Leaks and investigative
documents throughout the Haditha probe combined with the tactics of
investigators pose significant hurdles for attorneys, he added. "The defense of any of
the clients is very difficult and it doesn't help when the interrogation
techniques used by NCIS are not proper," Rooney said during a telephone
interview. "I was always told by NCIS that they didn't take sides but
that's not what happened in this case." Chessani's attorneys, they
say that many of the witnesses said the questioning was accusatorial,
confrontational and insulting. "One officer stated
that agents yelled and threw things at him during his questioning," a
release from the Thomas More Law Center states. "Witnesses believed that
the agents had already concluded that there was wrongdoing and were not
interested in information that would tend to exonerate the Marines." Last week, the Marine Corps
dropped murder charges against a sergeant who also had been charged, saying
the value of his testimony outweighed his involvement in the incident. A 1st lieutenant who
responded to reports that a roadside bomb had destroyed a Humvee killing a
lance corporal and triggering the events that led to the civilian deaths also
has been granted immunity, as have as many as six other Marines, according to
numerous sources. A hearing for Chessani to
determine if the charges against him move forward to court-martial will take
place at Camp Pendleton next month. All the accused maintain they are
innocent. External link: http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/04/24/news/breaking/4240780440.txt |