US soldier joked during abuse

2005-05-04 07:48

Texas - Private Lynndie England laughed and joked while Iraqi detainees were being forced into a naked human pyramid at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, prosecutors at her court-martial said on Tuesday.

The abuse was so humiliating that one detainee said he "had wanted to kill himself and does not know how he will face his family and friends," prosecutor Captain Chris Graveline told jurors who will decide England's sentence.

Under an agreement with the prosecution, the reservist pleaded guilty on Monday to seven charges of abuse. She faces a maximum prison term of 11 years.

For more than an hour on the evening of November 7 2003, England and her co-conspirators abused seven Iraqis who were accused of being the ringleaders of a prison riot and had "no military intelligence value," Graveline said.

Soldiers beat the prisoners and forced them to simulate sexual acts while England, 22, both took and posed for pictures.

Knew it was wrong

At one point, while a prisoner was being forced to masturbate, she said "he's getting hotter," Graveline told the jury of five men and one woman who had been shown photographs and video clips detailing the abuse.

International publication of those photographs led to widespread condemnation of United States practices in Iraq at a time when US forces were trying to bring the country under control after the 2003 invasion.

England's defence attorney said the message that this trial should send to Iraqis is that "justice is going to be done."

England has pled guilty to being a "participant" in the abuse, even though she didn't instigate any of the actions, Rick Hernandez said, adding that England shouldn't have to "pay for the acts of others."

In an attempt to reduce the high-school graduate's sentence, the defence called her former school psychologist.

Thomas Denne testified that England had been temporarily deprived of oxygen at birth and had suffered from a learning disability.

As a young girl England was electively mute, meaning that she rarely spoke, and "appeared intimidated in all social interactions," Denne said, adding that England was favoured by teachers because she was quiet and always did as she was told.

England - who faces six counts of maltreatment and one count of committing an indecent act - told the court she knew her actions were wrong, but gave in to pressure from friends to pose in photographs.

The charismatic ringleader of the abuse, Charles Graner, had been scheduled to testify on Tuesday and handed a note to reporters as he was led out of the court in handcuffs.

Graner, who has recently married another soldier charged in the scandal and is currently serving a 10-year term for his role in the abuse, reiterated his claim that he was ordered to abuse the prisoners.

- AFP