Hi,

" Defense lawyer Guy Womack said Graner and his comrades were rewarded when they softened up detainees. "The more aggressive they became, the more information they got and the more praise they got," he said.

Womack played down the photographs that showed naked prisoners stacked in pyramids. "Don't cheerleaders all over America make pyramids everyday?" he said. "It's not torture." "

Abu Ghraib pyramids 'not wrong'

The lawyer for a US soldier accused of mistreating prisoners at Iraq's Abu Ghraib jail has said the alleged abuses were valid methods of control.

Guy Womack, attorney for Specialist Charles Graner, said US cheerleaders often formed human pyramids.

"Is that torture?" he asked, opening Spc Graner's defence on Monday.

The soldier denies charges including conspiracy to mistreat prisoners and assault. The counts carry a tariff of up to 17 years in prison.

Spc Graner was pictured in several of the now-notorious images to emerge from Abu Ghraib featuring hooded or naked prisoners.

Some of the pictures were shown by the prosecution as the court martial got under way at the Fort Hood army base in Texas on Monday.

'Valid tool'

In his opening statements, prosecutor Major Michael Holley graphically described some of the acts allegedly carried out by Spc Graner.

He claimed the military policeman beat an Iraqi prisoner with a baton until he begged to be killed, and forced male inmates to simulate oral sex.

Referring to pictures showing Spc Graner standing next to a pile of naked Iraqis, Spc Graner's lawyer said "pyramids" could legitimately be used as a "control technique".

Another photo featured Pte Lynndie England, who has since had a child with Graner, leading a prisoner on a leash.

Mr Womack said tethers were "a valid tool" when dealing not only with prisoners, but also with children.

"You've probably been at a mall or airport and seen children on tethers; they're not being abused," he argued.

He said the soldiers took pictures of each other "because no one did anything they thought was wrong".

The soldier's defence says the abuse was sanctioned by his superiors.

"He was doing his job. Following orders and being praised for it," Mr Womack told the court.

Spc Graner, in his dark green dress uniform, chatted and joked with his defence team before the hearing began, but showed no reaction during the proceedings.

His trial is expected to last at least a week.

"Whatever happens is going to happen, but I still feel it's going to be on the positive side and I'm going to have a smile on my face," Spc Graner said last week.

Source

Convicted:

• Pte Jeremy Sivits
• Sgt Ivan Frederick
• Specialist Megan Ambuhl

Facing trial:

• Pte Lynndie England
• Specialist Charles Graner
• Sgt Javal Davies
• Specialist Sabrina Harman

Related Article

A military guard testified Monday that he saw Graner punch an Iraqi detainee in the face a moment after a notorious photo was taken at Abu Ghraib prison.

Another witness said Graner was "laughing and having a good time" while making naked prisoners pose.

Spc. Matthew Wisdom, the first witness in Graner's prisoner abuse court-martial, said Graner was among a number of guards who roughed up detainees on Nov. 7, 2003.

Wisdom described a prominent photo from Abu Ghraib that showed the muscular Graner holding a prisoner as if he were about to strike him in the face.

The witness said Graner cocked his arm while the picture was taken, and then he punched the prisoner.

Asked how hard Graner hit the prisoner, Wisdom said, "If I was that detainee, I know that it would be very painful."

Wisdom said he was urged to participate in abuse, but that he instead reported it to his immediate superior.

"I was very upset," he said. "It made me kind of sick, almost. It didn't seem right."

Graner, a 36-year-old former prison guard from Uniontown, Pa., is charged with conspiracy to maltreat Iraqi detainees, assault, dereliction of duty and committing indecent acts.

An all-male jury of four Army officers and six senior enlisted men will decide his fate in what is expected to be a weeklong trial. If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 17 1/2 years in a military prison.

Under military law, a conviction requires guilty votes by seven of the 10 jurors, all of whom have served in either Iraq (news - web sites) or Afghanistan (news - web sites).

Wisdom testified that he did not see Graner when a naked Iraqi was allegedly forced to **********. That incident is the basis of one of the maltreatment charges against Graner.

But another member of the 372nd Military Police Company said Graner was not only there, but that the defendant photographed a simulated oral sex scene.

Pvt. Jeremy Sivits, who in May pleaded guilty to taking part in abuse, said Graner was in charge of stacking naked prisoners into a human pyramid with which he later posed for pictures.

"He was trying to get the job done, but he was also laughing and having a good time," said Sivits, who told the court that his testimony against Graner was part of his plea deal.

Sivits received the maximum sentence of one year in prison, a reduction in rank and a bad conduct discharge.

Army prosecutor Maj. Michael Holley conceded during opening statements that there were problems at Abu Ghraib, but that those difficulties did not justify Graner's actions. "Anyone would say, 'That's illegal, that's beyond the pale,'" he said.

Defense lawyer Guy Womack said Graner and his comrades were rewarded when they softened up detainees. "The more aggressive they became, the more information they got and the more praise they got," he said.

Womack played down the photographs that showed naked prisoners stacked in pyramids. "Don't cheerleaders all over America make pyramids everyday?" he said. "It's not torture."

Two other members of Graner's unit who have made plea deals are scheduled to testify against him. As many as three Iraqi detainees may testify via videotaped deposition.

Three more soldiers from the 372nd also are awaiting trial at Fort Hood. One is Lynndie England, who in October gave birth to a child who Army prosecutors say was the result of a relationship with Graner.
Source

Peace
-=SF_13=-

Well it's a novel defense. I'll give defense Counsel that. But it won't fly.

last night on CNN he stated that stacking was a tactic to prevent the prisoners from beaing able to rush the guards. Also the sand bags were put over their heads so that they would not be able to see the guard's exact location. Also mentioned was the fact that the prisoners stacked up had just led a revolt and they were naked because they were being checked for weapons. now whether all this is true or not remains to be seen but this does sound a little better than "Hey man cheerleaders do it"

Okay I can buy the reason for the vision being restricted. I can buy the reason for them being stripped. Both are plausible and rather common in Custody Enviroments.

But come the on . We stacked them up so they couldn't rush us? Thats so much BS the Court needs hip waders. There are more controlled positions and methods used on a daily basis by the military and civilian LEO's.

They got caught. They were Wrong. Their fellow soliders dropped the dime on them. Time to Man the up and take your medicine.

Originally Posted by 03USMC

Okay I can buy the reason for the vision being restricted. I can buy the reason for them being stripped. Both are plausible and rather common in Custody Enviroments.

But come the on . We stacked them up so they couldn't rush us? Thats so much BS the Court needs hip waders. There are more controlled positions and methods used on a daily basis by the military and civilian LEO's.

They got caught. They were Wrong. Their fellow soliders dropped the dime on them. Time to Man the up and take your medicine.

i ain't defendin' i'm just sayin!

I know your not. It just amazes me that they would insult the intelligence of the Court with a lame fairy tale like that.

Then again I've come to expect that from lawyers.

Lawyers are just doing their job, I guess. Jerks like those are an insult on true soldiers, and sure enough, they'll pay for that.

The defense claim about cheer leaders forming human pyramids seems to be a deterence to the inevitable. They'll use every outside evidence and claim possible, even stupidly ridiculous ones.