- KUWAIT (Reuters) - The U.S.
Army has discharged three soldiers for abusing Iraqi prisoners of war in
southern Iraq, a U.S. military spokesman said on Monday.
-
- The three had been found guilty of beating and harassing
prisoners at Camp Bucca during the U.S.-led war against Iraq, spokesman
Lieutenant-Colonel Vic Harris told Reuters.
-
- The three soldiers, all from Pennsylvania, have been
sent back to the United States after months of investigations led to their
administrative discharge by Brigadier-General Ennis Whitehead III, the
acting commander of the 143rd Transportation Command, Harris said.
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- Whitehead indicted the soldiers under non-judicial punishment.
This means a jury does not try the case and the defendants do not have
to serve time in jail, Harris said.
-
- "The biggest consequence is that the soldiers have
been separated from service and can no longer represent America in uniform,"
he said.
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- He named the three as Master Sergeant Lisa Girman, 35,
Staff Sergeant Scott McKenzie, 38, and Specialist Timothy Canjar, 21.
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- "The charges stem from an incident last year when
prisoners were being moved. Master Sergeant Gilman, who was the senior
person and in charge, was charged with physical abuse of Iraqi detainees,"
Harris said.
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- Gilman was charged with knocking a prisoner down, repeatedly
kicking him and encouraging her subordinates to do the same. "The
three left for the United States about a week ago," Harris said.
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- The U.S. Army said last year the three faced up to 25
years in jail if convicted on charges of cruelty and maltreatment of POWs,
dereliction of duty, filing false statements, obstruction of justice, and
conspiracy to obstruct justice.
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- The soldiers said they acted in self-defense.
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