The Hindu : International : Hearings begin in Abu Ghraib abuse

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 04, 2004

International

International

Hearings begin in Abu Ghraib abuse

FORT BRAGG (NORTH CAROLINA), AUG. 3. A military hearing started on Tuesday to determine if a young soldier should be court-martialed for her actions at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, where she was photographed smiling and giving the thumbs-up sign in the presence of naked, hooded detenus.

Pfc. Lynndie England arrived in court on Tuesday morning for the Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a grand jury in civilian court. Though the hearing is open, as soon as it began the attorneys involved in the case went into a private meeting.

A Fort Bragg spokesman, Col. Billy Buckner, told reporters that the prosecution had 25 potential witnesses.

Chief defence lawyer Rick Hernandez of Denver, one of several lawyers working for free, said on Monday he planned to call witnesses both in the courtroom and by telephone from Iraq.

The hearing is the first chance in court for the 21-year-old Army reservist's attorneys to make their case that she was following orders from higher-ups when she was photographed mocking naked detenus. Witnesses on a list the defence released earlier this year included the Vice-President, Dick Cheney, the Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, and top generals, though military officials say it is doubtful they will appear.

— AP

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