freedetainees.org

The Unites States Army has brought charges against four soldiers in connection to the deaths of several detainees in Iraq in early 2007.
“The soldiers were charged with conspiracy to commit premeditated murder,” a statement released by the US Army said on Tuesday.

“The charges relate to an incident that occurred during April/May 2007 in Baghdad, Iraq, while the soldiers were serving in the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry (Regiment),” it added.

The four are currently serving in the 172nd Infantry Brigade, in the southern German city of Grafenwoehr. They had returned to the city in November after a 15-month deployment in Iraq.

Although the statement provided no details on the incident, reports indicate that the soldiers have been charged in connection to the deaths of several detainees captured during combat operations in 2007 by members of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division.

“Their case now has to be reviewed to determine whether it should be referred to a court-martial,” said Eric Bloom, a spokesman for the Army Joint Multinational Training Command in Grafenwoehr, Germany.

Preliminary Army findings in January said the dead detainees “were not persons detained in a detention facility,” suggesting that the killed were Iraqis who were already restrained on or near the battlefield.

The 1949 Geneva Conventions prohibit “outrages upon the personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment” against any detainee.

Human rights groups have reported consistent allegations of torture and ill treatment by US agents against detainees, specially in Iraq and Afghanistan.

MT/MMN

July 30th, 2008 | Category: Death in Custody, Detainee Abuse, Iraq, US Troops, US Troops charged, war crimes |  Print This Post | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL