Soldier who denounced abuses in Iraq given psychiatric exam

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050308/wl_mideast_afp/usiraqprisoners&cid=1514&ncid=1473

WASHINGTON (AFP) - An army sergeant was given a psychiatric examination and sent out of Iraq (news - web sites) after he reported that members of his counter-intelligence team in Samarra were abusing prisoners, according to army investigation documents. snip

But the sergeant's case was unusual in that his superior officers responded to his allegations that members of his counter-intelligence unit were abusing prisoners by having him examined by a military psychiatrist.


The documents show that the commander of the 223rd military intelligence battalion and his executive officer, who had previously led the counter-intelligence team, met with the psychiatrist after she initially gave the complaining sergeant a clean bill of mental health.


The psychiatrist later told investigators "her chain of command put undue pressure on her which forced her to decide to send the sergeant back to the United States," according to the documents.


The army dropped its investigation into the sergeant's abuse allegations on grounds that victims could not be found "and there is no serious injury and/or substantial loss of government or personal property."

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