PFC Lynndie England’s Article 32 Hearing Postponed Again

Army Times РPFC Lynndie England̢۪s Article 32 hearing postponed again

It was another false start for Pfc. Lynndie England̢۪s Article 32 hearing at Fort Bragg, N.C., days after new charges involving sexually explicit photographs were filed against her. Instead of testimony from witnesses, the only action taken at England̢۪s preliminary hearing Monday was to again reschedule the trial. The trial was moved to Aug. 3 for unspecified reasons having to do with her Army lawyers, a Fort Bragg spokesman said. In addition, England has three civilian lawyers.
The hearing, which also was postponed June 22, is expected to last four days.

Last week, new charges were preferred against England, the female soldier famously pictured holding a leash tied to a naked Iraqi prisoner at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The six additional specifications double her maximum possible sentence from about 15 years to 30 years, said spokesman Lt. Col. Billy Buckner of the XVIII Airborne Corps. Four new specifications are for “indecent acts,†and one is for “the creation and possession of sexually explicit photographs.â€
None of the new pictures involve Iraqi detainees or Iraqi nationals, according to a news release from Fort Bragg. Published reports, quoting anonymous congressmen who were shown Abu Ghraib photos and videos a couple of months ago, said the photos depict American soldiers engaged in graphic sexual acts with other soldiers.

England is pregnant. The father is Spc. Charles Graner, a buddy from the 372nd Military Police Company. In court, she wore a maternity BDU top.

According to the news release, other charges she faces are: posing for the leash photograph; three specifications of assaulting detainees; eight specifications of posing for “numerous wrongful photographs with various Iraqi detainees,†and one of “indecent acts with numerous soldiers and Iraqi detainees.â€

Lovely. Of course, this is all Don Rumsfeld’s fault.

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. Steven says:

    Indeed.

    Along those line, I was re-reading Genesis the other day and was shocked to see that it was, in fact, a young Donald Rumsfeld who told the snake to offer Eve the apple.

  2. McGehee says:

    No Steve, that wasn’t Rumsfeld. It was Ashcroft. On orders from Cheney W. Halliburton (as best I can translate the ravings of my source) and with the help of Bill Kristall (I always thought he spelled it Kristol…) and Paul Vulfervitz.

  3. Steven says:

    Theological discussions can get so confusing.