England ‘willing participant’ in Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse

A SOLDIER already convicted in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal testified yesterday that fellow Army reservist Private Lynndie England was a willing participant in creating the “human pyramid” of naked Iraqi detainees shown in infamous photographs from Iraq.

Private Jeremy C Sivits testified at a hearing in England’s case that he helped escort one detainee into the Baghdad prison one night in December 2003. He said a sergeant who was in charge yelled at England and another soldier for “stomping on the fingers and toes” of a detainee.

After that sergeant left, Sivits testified, he watched as Specialist Charles Graner Jr and others stacked seven naked detainees, who had bags over their heads, in the human pyramid and photographed them.

The photos included shots of England, 21, smiling and pointing at one detainee’s genitals and posing behind the pyramid.

“Corporal Graner seemed like he was enjoying it,” said Sivits, of the Maryland-based 372nd Military Police Company. “Private England was sitting in his lap, having a good time.”

Several soldiers have testified that England was Graner’s girlfriend, and he has been described as the father of the child she is due to deliver in October.

Sivits pleaded guilty in the scandal and is serving a year in prison. He testified by telephone yesterday from the brig at Camp Lejeune.

England is one of seven members of the 372nd charged in the scandal. Graner has been portrayed as the group’s ringleader. Staff Sergeant Ivan “Chip” Frederick II announced last week that he would plead guilty to some of the charges against him.

The hearing is to determine whether England, a personnel clerk from Fort Ashby, West Virginia, should face a court-martial on 13 counts of abusing detainees and six counts stemming from possession of sexually explicit photos not involving detainees. If convicted, she could get up to 38 years in prison.

Since the hearing recessed on August 8, investigating officer Colonel Denise J Arn has been considering a defence request to call more than 160 witnesses, including Vice-President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld and a military interrogator known only as “James Bond” or “Agent 007”.

However, a Fort Bragg spokesman, Major Richard Patterson, said just two witnesses would testify during this week’s session.