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Abuse suspect 'was in love'
18/01/2005 11:29 - (SA)
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| US army Special Charles Graner arrives for his court-martial at Fort Hood, Texas. (LM Otero, AP) |
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Amsterdam - Iraqi prisoner abuse suspect Private Lynndie England said in an interview with a Dutch television programme that she had been in love with fellow United States soldier Charles Graner when abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison took place.
England, 22, was a prison clerk who was shown smiling and pointing at naked Iraqi prisoners, and holding one at the end of a leash, in photographs that caused international outrage. She is charged with 19 counts of abuse and faces a sentence of up to 38 years if found guilty on all counts.
England gave birth in October to a son believed to have been fathered by Graner, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Saturday for his role in the scandal.
Hopes they'll be together
"He's a really good guy," England said of Graner on the television programme Nova, aired Monday. "He's very responsible, he's very trustworthy. I'm not just saying that because of the storm we're in." She said she still loves him and hopes they will someday be together again.
The interview was recorded at England's home in Fort Ashby, West Virginia.
England said she had been in a relationship with Graner when the abuse occurred in the fall of 2003. Asked whether she loved him at the time, she answered, "yes."
In an interview last year with US television station KCNC-TV, England said she was acting on orders from superiors. Lawyers for Graner offered that defence, but a military jury convicted him on Friday on all five charges he faced and sentenced him on Saturday to 10 years.
In the interview with Nova, England said the photos had been intended to humiliate prisoners, part of a "mind game" that was condoned by most guards and was effective. She said military intelligence officers had told them to "keep up the good work".
"It wasn't right, but apparently they thought it wasn't uncommon enough to stop it," she said.
She said she had received numerous death threats since the photos were made public.
"People want to kill me just because of a few pictures," she said.
England is to face trial at the same military court in Fort Hood, Texas, where Graner's court martial was held.
Prior to Graner's conviction, three other members of the Maryland-based 372nd Military Police Company pleaded guilty to abuse charges at Abu Ghraib, as did a low-level soldier in a military intelligence unit.
England and two other US soldiers are awaiting trial.
- AP
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