US abuse of prisoners - Buck must not stop at raw recruit

IT is hard to avoid the perception that US army reservist Lynndie England is being used as a scapegoat in the Iraqi prison abuse scandal.

Her lawyers claim the 21-year-old soldier was following orders when she was photographed mocking naked detainees at Abu Ghraib prison.

While that in no way excuses her conduct, it could explain why the raw young recruit acted as she did.

In a war where the trail of scandal has reached the very gate of the White House and the door of No 10 Downing Street, it would be a travesty if lawyers are not allowed to question senior officials.

While it is doubtful if such witnesses as Vice-President Dick Cheney, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and top generals will appear, the eyes of the world will be focused on the trial proceedings.

As the US presidential election campaign heats up, if Ms England’s lawyers succeed in pinning the blame on senior officers for the outrageous treatment of Iraqi prisoners, it could seriously damage the Bush regime.