JAG CENTRAL

Army CPL Patrick Tillman, Whose Death Is Receiving A New Inquiry (AP)

From the NY Times, Soldier Sentenced in Detainee Death ("A military intelligence interrogator was sentenced to two months in prison after admitting that he abused an Afghan detainee who later died. The interrogator, Specialist Glendale C. Walls, pleaded guilty to dereliction of duty and assault. In addition to the prison sentence, he was reduced in rank and pay and will receive a bad-conduct discharge. He admitted that he stood by as Sgt. Selena M. Salcedo lifted a detainee known as Dilawar by the ear and as Specialist Joshua R. Claus made another detainee roll around on the floor and kiss Specialist Walls's boots. Specialist Walls also admitted to pushing Dilawar against a wall during the interrogation in which Sergeant Salcedo abused him."). ANALYSIS: I commented on the trial of PFC Brand, another interrogator being tried with SPC Walls, SGT Salcedo, and SPC Claus, in this post. A key issue has been the inability of the accused interrogators to call high-ranking officers as defense witnesses. Their theory is that these officers sanctioned and at sometimes even ordered the abusive tactics they are accused of concocting themselves. Lt. Col. Mark Sposato, the military judge in these cases at Fort Bliss, TX, has dismissed the defense requests as irrelevant and cumulative.

In other news from the NY Times, Soldiers Death Under Review ("The Pentagon's inspector general is reviewing the Army's investigation into the death of Cpl. Pat Tillman, a former professional football player, a spokesman said. Corporal Tillman joined the Army after the Sept. 11 attacks. On April 22, 2004, he was killed in Afghanistan by fellow soldiers who mistook him for the enemy, military officials have said. A report by Brig. Gen. Gary Jones of the Army Special Operations Command found that the Army knew within days how Corporal Tillman died but kept the news secret for weeks and destroyed evidence."); Military Database is Hacked ("A hacker tapped into a military database containing Social Security numbers and other personal information for 33,000 Air Force officers and some enlisted personnel, an Air Force spokesman said. The figure represents about half the officers in the Air Force, but no identity theft had been reported as of early Tuesday, said Tech. Sgt. James Brabenec, a spokesman at the Air Force Personnel Center at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas. The case is under investigation."); Three Detainees Are Released ("The Pentagon said three detainees at its prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, had been sent home to Iran, Yemen and Tajikistan. It said the Iranian detainee was recommended for release by an annual administrative review board. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said the man, Muhammad Anuarkord, required treatment for mental disorders that he developed in the prison. The State Department disputed the accusation.").

From the Washington Post, Investigations Into Tillman's Death Reviewed.

Categories: Detainee+Abuse, Tillman, Afghanistan, Guantanamo, Identity+Theft, Newspapers