Jury Splits on Abu Ghraib Verdict

Colonel acquitted of abuse charges, convicted for talking about investigation
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 28, 2007 6:21 PM CDT
Jury Splits on Abu Ghraib Verdict
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steven J. Jordan, the former head of the interrogation center at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, leaves a military court after deliberations in his court-martial began Monday, Aug. 27, 2007, in Fort Meade, Md. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)   (Associated Press)

A military jury today acquitted Army Lt. Col. Steven Jordan, the only officer charged in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, of three charges relating to widespread prisoner abuse that led to global denunciations of US involvement in Iraq. Jordan was found guilty of one count of “willfully disobeying” a senior officer by discussing the investigation and faces up to 5 years in prison.

Prosecutors argued unsuccessfully that, as director of Abu Ghraib's interrogation center for 2 months in late 2003, Jordan created an atmosphere that led to the abuse. Witnesses testified he had no such authority. Jordan is the last of the 12 defendants to stand trial. Lower-ranking soldiers photographed perpetrating the abuse have been sentenced to terms of up to 10 years. (More Abu Ghraib stories.)

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