News-Info-Alerts

Re: US SOldiers Charged With EPW Abuse

From: POW-MIA InterNetwork

Date: July 28, 2003

"Soldiers Charged With Abusing Prisoners Of War
Jul 27, 2003
Source: Scotland On Sunday

Four US soldiers have been charged with physically abusing inmates at a prisoner-of-war camp in Iraq. The four, members of the US Army’s 320th Military Police Battalion, face up to five charges each of assault and mistreating prisoners at the US-run Camp Bucca.

The revelations came as Iraqi guerrillas killed three US soldiers on guard at a children’s hospital in Baqouba, northeast of Baghdad, in a grenade attack.

The US military confirmed four soldiers had been charged with assaulting inmates. They were named by relatives as Staff Sgt Scott McKenzie, 37, Master Sgt Lisa Girman, 35, Sgt Shawna Edmondson, 24 and Tim Canjar, 21.

McKenzie and Girman also face charges of making false statements and obstruction of justice, while Edmondson faces an additional charge, on top of assault and mistreatment claims, of dereliction of duty. Canjar also faces a charge of making a false statement.

The military’s investigation continues, said Lt Cmdr Nick Balice, a spokesman for US Central Command. The soldiers say their actions were in self-defence when Iraqi prisoners attacked them.

McKenzie claimed in an e-mail to relatives sent five days after the incident, on May 12, that force had to be used to restore order. "A few of my MPs were assaulted by the enemy prisoners, and we had to use force to regain control, all justifiable," he wrote.

The four have not been jailed but have been given restricted duties, separated from each other and assigned to a base in Kuwait, away from the rest of their unit.

At least three other soldiers from the 320th Military Police Battalion also are being investigated, relatives said."