Abu-Ghraib-Folterer Graner schuldig gesprochen

--- Die US-Medien und die deutschen Online-Ticker sind heute voll von der Verurteilung des inzwischen degradierten Abu-Ghraib-Folterkorporals Charles A. Graner. Unterschiedlich fallen die Urteile aus, ob der 36-Jährige auf Stimmen von oben gehört hat oder selbst einen Trend in dem Militärgefängnis ausgelöst hat. Aus der Washington Post: The defense maintained that Graner, who was a corporal and has since been demoted, and the other low-ranking enlisted soldiers indicted in the case were scapegoats set up by the Army to deflect blame from senior offices in charge of the prison. No officer at Abu Ghraib, and no one higher in the chain of command, has faced criminal charges to date. That discrepancy became the core defense argument at the court-martial. Defense attorney Guy Womack reiterated the point in closing arguments Friday. "The government is asking a corporal to take the hit for them," Womack said. "The chain of command says, 'We didn't know anything about this stuff,' " he continued. "You know that is a lie." Four others stationed at Abu Ghraib have pleaded guilty to charges resulting from the abuse; three were sentenced to prison terms, and one was reduced in rank. Two more face trials in the next two months. Daneben schildert die Post noch mal recht detailliert, welche (sexuellen) Spiele Graner und seine anderen Folterknechte mit den Gefangenen durchexerziert haben.

Die New York Times zeigt sich vor allem erleichtert, dass mit der Verurteilung und den drohenden 15 Jahren Haft ein wenig Gerechtigkeit wiederhergestellt ist: The prosecutor, Capt. Chris Graveline, urged jurors for a guilty verdict in his closing arguments, saying: "It will speak volumes to the accused. It will speak volumes to our Army. It will speak volumes to our country. It will speak volumes to the world." In der LA Times dazu noch die Stimme eines Misshandelten: Prosecutors played a videotaped deposition from Iraq by Hussein Mutar, a suspected car thief who was one of the detainees stacked naked in a pyramid and forced to perform mock sexual acts. "The Americans came to free the Iraqi people from Saddam," Mutar said through an interpreter. "I didn't expect this was going to happen. They took Saddam out of power and it appeared they were good. But this incident changed the entire picture of what Americans look like." Eines der dunkelsten Kapitel der US-Militärgeschichte lebt damit noch einmal auf. Bleibt zu hoffen, dass es damit nicht gleich ganz beendet ist und Graner als Bauernopfer allein fällt. Siehe auch das Posting zum Thema bei DailyKos.

Update: Graner erhält zehn Jahre Haft und fliegt aus der Armee.

Update2: "The Graner verdict changes nothing", schreibt David.