Court-Martial Set in Iraqi Prison Scandal

Journalist describes new prison photos

Sunday, May 9, 2004

(2:32 PM ET) (18:32 GMT)

The Cable News Network

CNN's John King, Jamie McIntyre, Ed Henry and Dana Bash contributed to this report

"Some of the lessons learned during the Gulf War were about how important it was to have JAG officers at the facilities. It was disappointing, and I had deep sorrow ... that the lessons learned in the Gulf War weren't applied."

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- CNN
Court-martial proceedings are scheduled for May 19 for a U.S. soldier accused in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, a military spokesman said Sunday.

Spc. Jeremy Sivits has been charged with maltreatment of prisoners, conspiracy to maltreat prisoners and dereliction of duty for not preventing the maltreatment of prisoners, said Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, a U.S. military spokesman.

Sivits, who was charged on Wednesday, will face a bad conduct discharge, Kimmitt said, and the court-martial will take place at coalition headquarters in Baghdad.

Sivits was named last week in an article in The New Yorker magazine as one of the soldiers facing charges for abuse of prisoners.

The military also has brought four counts against Army Pfc. Lynndie England, the woman shown smiling next to naked Iraqi prisoners in several photographs of the abuse.

The charges against England are committing an indecent act, assaulting Iraqi detainees on multiple occasions, conspiring with Cpl. Charles Graner to maltreat prisoners and committing acts that were "prejudicial to good order and discipline and were of nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces through her mistreatment of Iraqi detainees."

England, who has since returned from duty in Iraq and is now based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is five months pregnant. (Full story)

Journalist Seymour Hersh, who detailed some of the abuse at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison in a New Yorker article last week, said he obtained a new set of photographs, including a series apparently depicting American guards setting dogs on a naked prisoner.

* Other developments

(More: CNN.com / World)

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Dan