thedrifter
04-14-04, 12:05 PM
April 14, 2004
Two Marines face court-martial for allegedly assaulting Iraqi prisoner
Associated Press
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — Two Marines face a court-martial on charges including assault and dereliction of duty in the death of an Iraqi prisoner in their custody, a Camp Pendleton spokeswoman said Tuesday.
Maj. Clark A. Paulus is to be arraigned on four charges and Sgt. Gary Pittman faces six charges in the death of a 52-year-old Iraqi man who was allegedly mistreated at a Marine detention facility in southern Iraq last year, said 1st Lt. Amy Malugani, a public affairs officer.
Maj. Gen. William Bowdon, the commanding general at Camp Pendleton, dismissed the most serious charge, negligent homicide, against Paulus and Lance Cpl. Christian Hernandez.
Bowdon decided on the courts-martial Friday after receiving recommendations in March from an investigating officer, Malugani said. She did not know if an arraignment had yet been scheduled.
Overall, five Marines were investigated during an Article 32 hearing in February. Bowdon dismissed all charges against two other Marines and the fifth faced administrative discipline. Article 32 hearings are the military equivalent of a civilian grand jury probe.
Nagem Sadoon Hatab was killed June 6 when Hernandez grabbed him by the neck and snapped a bone in his throat, according to the Marine Corps. Hatab had been left lying naked, covered in his own feces, for hours when he was found dead at the detention facility near Nasiriyah.
Military prosecutors said Hatab was singled out because he was captured with a rifle belonging to the 507th Maintenance Company based out of Fort Bliss, Texas, which had been ambushed in Nasiriyah in March 2003. The unit included Pfc. Jessica Lynch.
Paulus, the detention camp’s commanding officer, faces general court-martial on a single charge of dereliction of duty, a charge of assault, and two charges of cruelty and maltreatment. Pittman, who was accused of karate-kicking Hatab in the chest, faces two charges of dereliction of duty and four of assault.
The names of attorneys for the Marines were not immediately available.
The Marines are members of the 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, based in Worcester, Mass.
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2821100.php
Ellie
Two Marines face court-martial for allegedly assaulting Iraqi prisoner
Associated Press
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — Two Marines face a court-martial on charges including assault and dereliction of duty in the death of an Iraqi prisoner in their custody, a Camp Pendleton spokeswoman said Tuesday.
Maj. Clark A. Paulus is to be arraigned on four charges and Sgt. Gary Pittman faces six charges in the death of a 52-year-old Iraqi man who was allegedly mistreated at a Marine detention facility in southern Iraq last year, said 1st Lt. Amy Malugani, a public affairs officer.
Maj. Gen. William Bowdon, the commanding general at Camp Pendleton, dismissed the most serious charge, negligent homicide, against Paulus and Lance Cpl. Christian Hernandez.
Bowdon decided on the courts-martial Friday after receiving recommendations in March from an investigating officer, Malugani said. She did not know if an arraignment had yet been scheduled.
Overall, five Marines were investigated during an Article 32 hearing in February. Bowdon dismissed all charges against two other Marines and the fifth faced administrative discipline. Article 32 hearings are the military equivalent of a civilian grand jury probe.
Nagem Sadoon Hatab was killed June 6 when Hernandez grabbed him by the neck and snapped a bone in his throat, according to the Marine Corps. Hatab had been left lying naked, covered in his own feces, for hours when he was found dead at the detention facility near Nasiriyah.
Military prosecutors said Hatab was singled out because he was captured with a rifle belonging to the 507th Maintenance Company based out of Fort Bliss, Texas, which had been ambushed in Nasiriyah in March 2003. The unit included Pfc. Jessica Lynch.
Paulus, the detention camp’s commanding officer, faces general court-martial on a single charge of dereliction of duty, a charge of assault, and two charges of cruelty and maltreatment. Pittman, who was accused of karate-kicking Hatab in the chest, faces two charges of dereliction of duty and four of assault.
The names of attorneys for the Marines were not immediately available.
The Marines are members of the 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, based in Worcester, Mass.
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2821100.php
Ellie