Witnesses testify to beating of Iraqi prisoners by four sold

Witnesses testify to beating of Iraqi prisoners by four soldiers

TAREK AL-ISSAWI
Associated Press
Posted on Thu, Aug. 28, 2003
UMM QASR, Iraq - In a second day of testimony Thursday
to determine whether charges of mistreating prisoners
of war should be brought against four U.S. Army
reservists from Pennsylvania, an officer testified he
saw a prisoner being thrown to the ground and other
prisoners being punched.

"I saw what appeared to be a punch," Staff Sgt. Donald
Bragg testified, in a tent courtroom at Camp Bucca,
where the prisoners were being taken when allegedly
mistreated in May.
Possible charges against the four include dereliction
of duty, assault, maltreatment of prisoners, conspiracy
to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice.
The hearing near Umm Qasr, a southern port city, is the
equivalent of a civilian grand jury investigation that
will produce a nonbinding recommendation to be
forwarded to Gen. Janis Karpinski, commander of the
800th Military Police Brigade, for a final judgment.

He could decide to ignore the allegations, set
penalties or call for a courts martial.
The four - Spc. Timothy Canjar, 21; Sgt. Shawna
Edmondson, 24; Master Sgt. Lisa Marie Girman, 35, and
Staff Sgt. Scott A. McKenzie, 38 - are all from the
320th Military Police Battalion, based in Ashley, Pa.
They are alleged to have punched and kicked several
Iraqis, breaking one man’s nose, while escorting a
busload of prisoners to the Camp Bucca POW processing
center. The soldiers have said they acted in self-
defense.
Thursday’s session was adjourned after a few hours to
allow the defense counsel to consult with their
clients.

On Wednesday, several government witnesses said they
saw prisoners being treated with excessive violence.
Spc. Brian Taylor said he saw McKenzie kicking a
prisoner in the groin.
Spc. Diane Rider testified that Edmondson, a close
friend of hers, told her the soldiers physically harmed
a prisoner who was allegedly a rapist.
"She said they did it to teach the prisoner a lesson on
how to treat women because he was charged with rape,"
she said.
Rider said Edmondson told her she met with other
members of her unit after an investigation into the
allegations was launched, prompting the government
attorneys to add the possible charges of conspiracy to
obstruct justice and obstruction of justice to the list
of charges.

Several of the reservists have experience in handling
prisoners in their civilian jobs.
Girman, a Pennsylvania state trooper for 14 years,
served at a POW camp during the 1991 Gulf War.
McKenzie, who was decorated for his previous service in
Bosnia, is a lieutenant in a boot camp-style prison run
by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.
Edmondson is a campus security officer at the
University of Scranton, where she also takes classes.
The case has caused an uproar in Pennsylvania, where
relatives of the accused have enlisted the help of
politicians, veterans’ groups and friends to support
the four reservists.

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/world/6640333.htm