American justice

Jurors at a court martial at a Texas military base have acquitted an army sergeant of manslaughter charges in the drowning death of an Iraqi civilian but convicted him of assaulting the man.

Sergeant First Class Tracy Perkins was accused of forcing Zidoun Fadel Hassoun to jump in the Tigris river in Baghdad as punishment for violating a curfew in Samarra in January 2004.

But the defense argued it wasn't clear that the Iraqi civilian had died in the incident.

Army criminal investigators questioned during the four-day trial at the Fort Hood base admitted they lacked the resources to fully probe the alleged death.

The defense also argued that the nature of hostilities in Iraq meant US troops needed to find effective ways to deter crime.

Turkish Press article

The "crime" in this instance was that the teenager was out on a delivery with his cousin some time shortly before the army's curfew. I guess an effective way to deter further curfew violation wouldn't have been to say, "Hey, kid, it's almost curfew time. Get home or come with us." No, of course not. We don't speak their language. Wouldn't have been very effective in English.

And I guess an effective way wouldn't have been to take the boys into custody overnight and release them the next day.

No, clearly, the best option was to force them into the river. It's not our fault the kid couldn't swim.

And, hey, it was effective. That kid won't be breaking any curfews in the future. And his cousin and everybody who heard the story probably watched their time carefully afterward.

Or found a gun and joined the insurgency.

Update 01/10/05:

Lt. Col. Nate Sassaman [...] gave the two soldiers instructions on what to tell investigators, Maj. Robert Gwinner told a panel of jurors on Thursday in Fort Hood, Texas.

[...]

Perkins, 33, was convicted Friday of two counts of aggravated assault, assault consummated by battery and obstruction of justice. He was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter and making a false statement.

[...]

According to Lt. Col. Jonathan Withington, public affairs officer at Fort Hood, Gwinner testified that Sassaman told the two soldiers, "When talking to investigators, leave out the part that you put people in the river. Only tell them you saw two people on the side of the river."

Gwinner was Sassaman's executive officer in Iraq.

[...]

Both [Sassaman] and Gwinner testified under immunity from prosecution, Withington said.

Sassaman, who is back from Iraq, could not be reached for comment at his Fort Carson office or at his home. He was given a letter of reprimand last spring for his involvement.

Oregon Live article