Officers in Abu Ghraib scandal not only escaped prosecution, they, in most cases, have been promoted

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA092907.06B.Abu_ghraib.32021c1.html

Officers wrongly escaped trial in Abu Ghraib case, speaker says

Web Posted: 09/29/2007 12:00 AM CDT

Roger Croteau
Express-News Staff Writer

SEGUIN — The photos and descriptions of torture and sexual degradation of prisoners by U.S. soldiers at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq shocked and outraged the world.

In its wake, 11 low-ranking military personnel pleaded guilty or were convicted at courts-martial, while higher ranking officials mostly emerged unscathed.

"The doctrine of command responsibility says the person in charge knows, or should know, about crimes committed by those under them," said sociologist, professor and author Stjepan G. Mestrovic in a lecture Thursday night at Texas Lutheran University.

"But that doctrine was turned on its head here. The officers not only escaped prosecution, they, in most cases, have been promoted. If this was the Balkans, they would have been dragged to The Hague," he said, referring to the war crimes trials of the 1990s.

"At The Hague and Nuremberg, they went after the big fish and there was no prosecution of the guys who did the dirty work," Mestrovic said.

[mmonk]

1. That's been the mo of this government.

[Solly Mack]

2. Yep..they sure have

[MNDemNY]

3. Why would you not

promote loyal officers??????????

[mvccd1000]

4. That seems to be the army way. Didn't work that way in the Navy.

Something happens on a ship, the captain is DONE. Someone else may see some trouble if there was gross negligence on their part, but the captain is viewed as being responsible for all training and conduct on the ship. If someone screwed up, it's because he did not ensure there was a good enough training and evaluation program in place to get competent people on the job.

I don't know if I've ever heard of a ship running aground, or into another ship, or any other major mishap in which the captain was not on his way home within a day or two.

I was amazed when that did not happen at Abu Graib. The Army just got busy blaming a bunch of E3s and E4s and saying the woman in charge had nothing to do with it. Quite a culture shock for me.