General (Sanchez) accused over abuse

[CShine]

The highest-ranking US military officer in Iraq, Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, was present during the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison, a military hearing has been told. The claim is made by the military lawyer representing a junior officer charged with prisoner abuse, on tapes of the proceedings obtained by The Washington Post.

The lawyer, Captain Robert Shuck, said he was told that General Sanchez and other senior officers were aware of what was taking place on Tier 1A of Abu Ghraib. He also said a sergeant at the prison was prepared to testify that intelligence officers told him the abuse of detainees in the cell block was "the right thing to do".

<snip>

The Washington Post report quotes Captain Shuck as saying that a company commander at Abu Ghraib, Captain Donald Reese, was present when General Sanchez witnessed abuses and would give evidence in exchange for immunity.

The military prosecutor, Captain John McCabe, asked Captain Shuck: "Are you saying that Captain Reese is going to testify that General Sanchez was there and saw this going on?"

Captain Shuck replied: "That's what he told me. I am an officer of the court, sir, and I would not lie. I have got two children at home."

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/23/1085250870734.html


another article on the same topic


Memo links top commander to abuse

The head of coalition forces in Iraq, Lieutenant-General Ricardo Sanchez, issued an order last October giving military intelligence control over almost every aspect of prison conditions at Abu Ghraib, with the explicit aim of manipulating the detainees' "emotions and weaknesses". The October 12 memorandum, obtained by The Washington Post, is a potential "smoking gun", linking prisoner abuse to the US high command. It represents evidence that the maltreatment was not simply the fault of rogue military police guards. The October memorandum also calls into question General Sanchez's sworn testimony to the US Senate.

At a hearing of the Senate armed services committee last week, General Sanchez was questioned about an order he gave in November, placing Abu Ghraib prison under the command of a military intelligence brigade. He insisted the order referred only to the defence of the jail.

"All of the other responsibilities for continuing to run the prison for logistics, training, discipline and the conduct of prison operations remained with the 800th (military police) Brigade commander,"General Sanchez told senators.

He rejected the findings of the official report into the Abu Ghraib abuse by Major-General Antonio Taguba, who concluded that military intelligence officers had told the guards "to set the conditions" for interrogations. However, according to the leaked memo, General Sanchez had given military intelligence interrogators control over the "lighting, heating... food, clothing and shelter" of the detainees being questioned. The memo also called for military intelligence officials to work more closely with the military police guards at the prison to "manipulate an internee's emotions and weaknesses".

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/05/23/1085250867049.html

[BiggJawn]

1. "Dirty" Sanchez really IS dirty!

And yes, I named him after the sex act...