Two Abu Ghraib Charges Dropped
Military prosecutors have dropped two charges against an Army officer who says he is a scapegoat for the military’s abuses at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison.
Investigators determined that Lt. Col. Steven Jordan was not read his rights before giving detailed statements, the Washington Post reports. As a result, charges that he lied in the probe were dropped. The newspaper calls the action “the latest in a series of odd twists in Jordan’s case.”
Eight of the original 12 charges against Jordan have been dismissed. He is the only officer to face court-martial for Abu Ghraib interrogation abuses. Two more senior officers received administrative punishments.
Opening statements in Jordan’s court-martial were scheduled to begin today. He is accused in an incident in which soldiers used military dogs and strip-searched Iraqi police officers to learn how a Syrian detainee obtained a gun.
