Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Arizona Daily Star (Tucson)
September 13, 2008
By Associated Press
BERLIN — Two American soldiers will face a court-martial in Germany for the alleged slaying of four prisoners in Iraq, the Army announced Friday.
Authorities say the Iraqi men were blindfolded, shot in the head and dumped in a Baghdad canal, allegedly in retribution for casualties in the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment to which the two soldiers — and two others who are also accused — belonged.
Lt. Col. Eric Bloom, spokesman for the Army Joint Multinational Training Command in Grafenwoehr, Germany, said that Spc. Belmor Ramos, 23, and Spc. Steven Ribordy, 25, both of 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, are charged with conspiracy to commit premeditated murder. Ribordy is also charged with being an accessory after the fact.
In an earlier statement, the Army said the allegations related to "the deaths of several detainees who were captured as part of combat operations last year." The killings allegedly took place in April 2007.
That statement, released in January, said that "preliminary findings indicate the deceased detainees were not persons detained in a detention facility," indicating the men were killed shortly after being captured.
Staff Sgt. Jess Cunningham and Sgt. Charles Quigley, are also accused of participating in the murders. Cunningham and Quigley appeared at an Article 32 hearing, similar to a civilian grand jury investigation, in Vilseck, Germany, last month. Defense lawyers argued that they did not participate in the killings.
"An investigating officer has not determined whether or not to proceed to a court-martial," against Cunningham and Quigley, Bloom said.
Ramos and Ribordy waived their right to an Article 32 hearing. Bloom said that, because of that, the two will go on to a court-martial.
An Army statement released Friday said the court-martial represented only an accusation against the soldiers. "The accused Soldiers are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty," the statement said.
Ramos' court-martial appearance is scheduled for Sept. 18 at a courtroom in Vilseck, Germany. A date for Ribordy's court-martial has not been set.
September 13, 2008
By Associated Press
BERLIN — Two American soldiers will face a court-martial in Germany for the alleged slaying of four prisoners in Iraq, the Army announced Friday.
Authorities say the Iraqi men were blindfolded, shot in the head and dumped in a Baghdad canal, allegedly in retribution for casualties in the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment to which the two soldiers — and two others who are also accused — belonged.
Lt. Col. Eric Bloom, spokesman for the Army Joint Multinational Training Command in Grafenwoehr, Germany, said that Spc. Belmor Ramos, 23, and Spc. Steven Ribordy, 25, both of 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, are charged with conspiracy to commit premeditated murder. Ribordy is also charged with being an accessory after the fact.
In an earlier statement, the Army said the allegations related to "the deaths of several detainees who were captured as part of combat operations last year." The killings allegedly took place in April 2007.
That statement, released in January, said that "preliminary findings indicate the deceased detainees were not persons detained in a detention facility," indicating the men were killed shortly after being captured.
Staff Sgt. Jess Cunningham and Sgt. Charles Quigley, are also accused of participating in the murders. Cunningham and Quigley appeared at an Article 32 hearing, similar to a civilian grand jury investigation, in Vilseck, Germany, last month. Defense lawyers argued that they did not participate in the killings.
"An investigating officer has not determined whether or not to proceed to a court-martial," against Cunningham and Quigley, Bloom said.
Ramos and Ribordy waived their right to an Article 32 hearing. Bloom said that, because of that, the two will go on to a court-martial.
An Army statement released Friday said the court-martial represented only an accusation against the soldiers. "The accused Soldiers are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty," the statement said.
Ramos' court-martial appearance is scheduled for Sept. 18 at a courtroom in Vilseck, Germany. A date for Ribordy's court-martial has not been set.