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Army court marshal conceals CIA involvement in death of former Iraqi general

by wsws (reposted)
An army court marshal convicted Chief Warrant Officer Lewis E. Welshofer of negligent homicide on January 22 for killing Abed Hamed Mowhoush, a former major general in the Iraqi military.
Mowhoush died after Welshofer stuffed him in a sleeping bag, wrapped a cord around his body, straddled his broken ribs, and covered his mouth. Welshofer’s sentence included no prison time. Evidence has emerged in media reports that Mowhoush was tortured to death over the course of 16 days, and that his interrogation involved several intelligence agencies, including the CIA.

Mowhoush walked into a US base in the Iraqi city of Qaim on November 10, 2003, hoping to secure the release of his four sons who had been taken hostage by army troops. One of Mowhoush’s sons told the Washington Post in an article published January 25, “They [the US Army] said if my father does not come, you will never see your family back.” Mowhoush was suspected by US forces of helping to fund the Iraqi insurgency, which was escalating in the months following the American invasion. The tactic of taking prisoners to lure their relatives to surrender is illegal under international law, but has been used on several occasions by the US military.

During his imprisonment, Mowhoush, an ailing 56-year-old man, was beaten to the point where he could not walk unaided and had difficulty breathing. His son told the Post, “He was tired and I saw wounds on his body...because they hit him so much, they made a lot of pain on him and he couldn’t even talk to me.”

It is obvious that Welshofer’s trial was an attempt to smooth over the edges of a US torture policy that pervades throughout all branches of the US military and intelligence agencies. The court marshal assigned all blame for Mowhoush’s death onto Welshofer, but even so, the soldier received no prison time. Welshofer was originally on trial for murder, but was subsequently charged only with negligent homicide and dereliction of duty, penalties that carry up to three years and three months jail time, respectively.

At his final sentencing on January 23, he was given a fine and restricted to barracks, work and his place of worship for 90 days. This negligible sentence is a clear sign from the military that it will not seriously prosecute those who have engaged in torture. The fact that Welshofer’s superiors—those who authorized and encouraged the torture methods used on Mowhoush—have not even been charged is an even more serious transgression of justice.

Read More
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/jan2006/army-j30.shtml
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