Iraqi prisoner abuse trial begins for US soldier

By Bill Trott

FORT MEADE, Maryland (Reuters) – A U.S. Army sergeant went
on trial on Monday on charges of abusing Iraqi inmates with his
dog in the military’s latest prosecution of low-ranking
soldiers in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.

The court martial of Sgt. Santos Cardona, 32, could be more
significant than those of the 10 American soldiers previously
convicted of abuse of Iraqi prisoners because testimony is
expected from Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, who helped shape
policies at Abu Ghraib.

Miller would be the highest ranking officer to testify in
the cases and was a commander at Guantanamo Bay prison, where
captives from Afghanistan and Iraq are held.

Cardona is accused of maltreatment of prisoners,
dereliction of duty and assault while allowing his unmuzzled
dog to intimidate detainees in 2003 and 2004. If convicted on
all charges, he could be sentenced to 16 1/2 years in prison.

Cardona and another dog handler, Sgt. Michael Smith, who
was convicted on similar charges in March and sentenced to 179
days in prison, allegedly played a “game” in which they tried
to scare prisoners so badly they urinated and defecated on
themselves.

The morning and early afternoon sessions of the trial were
spent selecting a panel to hear the charges. Two potential
members were excused after expressing strong opinions about the
notorious photographs of prisoner abuse that leaked out of Abu
Ghraib.

They said the photos, which showed sometimes-nude prisoners
being humiliated by Army personnel, inspired hatred among
Iraqis and increased the risk for U.S. soldiers.

Defense Attorney Capt. Kirsten M. Mayer said Cardona
appears in some of the photos, including one with a naked
inmate.

The list of 48 potential witnesses includes former Abu
Ghraib guards Ivan Frederick, Charles Graner and his wife,
Megan Ambuhl, who all were convicted of prisoner abuse in 2004.

Cardona’s defense team is expected to argue that his use of
the dog was condoned by his superiors. Only specialists,
sergeants and privates have been tried in the Abu Ghraib cases.

Cardona’s civilian attorney, Harvey Volzer, said during a
2003 trip to Abu Ghraib that Miller recommended using dogs
during interrogations of detainees. Col. Thomas Pappas, the top
military intelligence officer at Abu Ghraib, has previously
testified that Miller suggested using the technique on the
theory that Arabs have a fear of dogs.

Pappas, who also is on the list to testify at Cardona’s
trial, wrote a memo in 2004 calling for an end for the use of
dogs to intimidate inmates and recommended that dog handler not
be disciplined for abusing detainees.

Treatment of inmates in U.S. military prisons abroad has
been an embarrassing issue for the United States since 2004,
when photographs were leaked showing prisoners being abused and
sexually humiliated by U.S. military personnel.

Last week the U.N. Committee Against Torture called for the
closure of the Guantanamo and urged President Bush to ban
interrogation methods that could be considered torture or cruel
treatment. It also cited the use of dogs to scare detainees.