Army Spc. Charles Graner convicted in Iraq prisoner abuse
January 16, 2005 - Graner gets 10 years for Abu Ghraib abuse
FORT HOOD, Texas - Army Spc. Charles Graner Jr., the reputed ringleader of a band of rogue guards at Abu Ghraib, may tell his story about what went on inside the notorious Baghdad prison after all.
Graner was convicted Friday of abusing Iraqi detainees in a case that sparked international outrage when photographs were released that showed reservists gleefully humiliating prisoners. Four other soldiers have pleaded guilty in the scandal.
He did not testify during the 41/2-day trial, but Graner and his lawyers indicated late Friday that he would take the stand when his sentencing hearing resumes Saturday.
The first soldier to be court-martialed in the scandal, Graner was convicted of all five charges and faces up to 15 years behind bars. Four other soldiers have pleaded guilty in the scandal. [...]
The verdict came after less than five hours of deliberations and a 4 1/2-day trial in which prosecutors depicted Graner as a sadistic soldier who took great pleasure in seeing detainees suffer.
“It was for sport, for laughs,” prosecutor Capt. Chris Graveline told jurors in his closing argument Friday. “What we have here is plain abuse. There is no justification.”
The jury began the sentencing phase Friday evening before retiring for the night.
Iraqi detainee Hussein Mutar, in videotaped testimony shown during the sentencing phase, said he had supported the U.S.-led invasion to oust Saddam Hussein until he was abused.
“The Americans came to free the Iraqi people from Saddam,” Mutar said. “I didn’t expect this to happen. This instance changed the entire picture of the American people (for me).”
Graner was accused of stacking naked prisoners in a human pyramid and later ordering them to masturbate while other soldiers took photographs. He also allegedly punched one man in the head hard enough to knock him out, and struck an injured prisoner with a collapsible metal stick. (source)
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People choose all the time what they feel is the "moral" thing to do. That gives them license to do just about anything they want.
Do you follow orders if you personally feel those orders are immoral?
I personally think what happened at Abu Gharib was this... I don't believe Graner or any of the other soldiers who did these deeds were just "following orders". I think they acted according to their nature in the absence of orders or guidance from superior officers, all the way up the chain to Donald Rumsfeld. This reflects the kind of person that Charles Graner really is, along with the others who took part in these acts of torture.
Their superiors (and that goes all the way up to the President) didn't specifically say not to do these deeds. Instead, they turned and walked away, knowing full well what could, and probably would happen.
We as a nation earned this, and if I have anything to say about it, we aren't going to sweep it under the carpet. We need to own it and, hopefully, eventually, the people who are really responsible for this happening (Graner was just the "grunt" man here), will have to own up to it. Now, you think that is ever going to happen?
This is exactly why I posted the photos of these abuses on this site. I didn't do it to shame my country. I did it because I believe America has to be better than this. The first step in getting there is to first own up to it.
Give me a break...following orders? I think not. Just read another article where his parents said as a Christian, he felt the orders to abuse prisoners were wrong....Did he also find it wrong to be impregnating women along the way.
Well--from news reports, let me say...ONE WOMAN.