Former POWs tortured in Iraq battle U.S. to collect awards

[question everything]

Former POWs tortured in Iraq battle U.S. to collect awards

By Otto Kreisher
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE

April 8, 2005

WASHINGTON – Marine Corps pilot Cliff Acree was tortured while being held as a prisoner of war in Iraq in 1991 during the first Persian Gulf War.

Now, the retired colonel and 16 other former prisoners find themselves in what one called the unimaginable position of fighting their own government in an effort to obtain the compensation from Iraq that a federal court awarded them for their brutal treatment. Acree, an Oceanside resident, joined retired Air Force Lt. Col. Jeffrey Tice, another former POW, and their lawyers yesterday in asking the Bush administration to stop opposing their effort to receive a judgment for nearly $1 billion against the regime of Saddam Hussein that the former POWs and 37 family members won in July 2003.

The former prisoners and their families had filed their claim for compensation using the provisions of a 1996 federal anti-terrorism law. Although they had kept the government fully informed of their legal action, one of their attorneys said, the administration offered no opposition until they won their case.

The administration then appealed, and the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington overturned the judgment. The POWs are asking the Supreme Court to reverse the appeals court ruling. The administration has argued that the money the former prisoners would receive is needed to help rebuild Iraq and bolster the new government.

More..
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050408/news_1n8pows.html

[ixion]

1. ah, back in the days before torture was sanctioned...

best of luck with that. Unless your name happens to be Haliburton.

[Roland99]

2. The Iraqis were just letting off a little steam.

These soldiers need to just deal with it.


I mean...come on.

[ZR2]

3. Wouldn't this fall under the "expo-facto" provision of the Constitution.

Using a 1996 law to receive compensation for an event that occured in 1991 ?

[jukes]

4. NEOCONS

sure know how to "support the troops". maybe they shd be given a yellow-ribbon sticker as compensation...