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Abuse: Soldier gets one year
19/05/2004 15:07 - (SA)
Baghdad - A special court martial Wednesday sentenced private Jeremy C Sivits to a maximum penalty of one year in prison, reduction in rank and a bad conduct discharge for his role in the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse case. Sivits apologised to the Iraqi people.
"I'd like to apologise to the Iraqi people and those detainees," Sivits said, breaking down in tears as he made his statement. "I should have protected those detainees, not taken the photos."
"I have learned huge lessons, sir," he added. "You can't let people abuse people like they have done."
His lawyer, 1st Lieutenant Stanley Martin, had appealed to the judge, Colonel James Pohl, to be lenient, saying Sivits could be rehabilitated and had made a contribution to society in the past.
Sivits, who pleaded guilty to three abuse charges, took pictures of naked Iraqi prisoners being humiliated at Abu Ghraib prison.
He told the court he saw one US soldier punch one Iraqi in the head and other guards stomp on the hands and feet of detainees. He also recounted that prisoners were stripped and forced to form a human pyramid.
"I wanted to help the people of Iraq," Sivits said. "You've got to stand up for what's right. I'm truly sorry for what I've done."
Prosecutors had asked the judge to impose the harshest sentence despite Sivits' willingness to provide details about the crimes of other defendants, saying that Sivits himself knew that abuse was banned by the Geneva Conventions.
Defence witnesses testified to what they said was his good character.
Sergeant Dennis Boyd, who has known Sivits for four to five years, said he was "good work, good soldier, good kid. He was the 'go-to guy', the one to get the job done, and the one I could trust."
Sivits pleaded with the judge to allow him to remain in the army, which he said had been his life's goal.
- AP
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