|
The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
|
July 31st,
2008 - US Troops Charged in Iraq Deaths to Face Tribunal |
|
US Troops Charged in Iraq Deaths
to Face Tribunal By David Rising Associated Press July 31, 2008 Berlin - Four American
soldiers accused of involvement in the slaying of prisoners in Iraq will be
brought before a military tribunal in Germany next month, the Army said
Thursday. The enlisted soldiers are
scheduled for an Article 32 hearing Aug. 26 to determine if there is enough
evidence to court martial them on charges of conspiracy to commit
premeditated murder, according to an Army statement. The four - Staff Sgt. Jess
Cunningham, Sgt. Charles Quigley, Spc. Stephen Ribordy and Spc. Belmor Ramos
of the Germany-based 172nd Infantry Brigade - have not yet entered pleas. The charges stem from
allegations that they were part of a unit that killed "male detainees of
apparent Middle-Eastern descent" between March 10 and April 16, 2007, in
and around Baghdad, the statement said. It is alleged that each
soldier "and members of his unit took male detainees to a canal and
members of his unit did shoot the male detainees," according to the
charge sheet. The Army did not elaborate
further, but in an earlier statement said the allegations related to
"the deaths of several detainees who were captured as part of combat
operations last year." That statement, released in
January, said that "preliminary findings indicate the deceased detainees
were not persons detained in a detention facility." Lt. Col. Eric Bloom,
spokesman for the Army Joint Multinational Training Command in Grafenwoehr,
said he could not comment beyond the official statements on the details of
the case. But he said other charges
could still emerge from the incident. "The investigation
continues, so the possibility remains open," he said. Copyright © 2008 The
Associated Press. External link: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jT_5PGYtGZytODmicOPphKtIPm0QD928TLSG0 |