Patterico's Pontifications

4/22/2010

Navy SEAL Not Guilty in Iraqi Abuse Case

Filed under: Law,Terrorism,War — DRJ @ 7:15 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

One of three Navy SEALS charged in connection with the alleged beating of an Iraqi prisoner was found not guilty today by a Navy jury:

“On Thursday, a six-man Navy jury found Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas not guilty of dereliction of duty and impeding the investigation. The jury heard too many differences between the testimony of a sailor who claimed he witnessed the Sept. 1 assault at a U.S. base outside Fallujah and statements from a half-dozen others who denied his account.

Smiling and composed as he left the courthouse at the U.S. military’s Camp Victory on Baghdad’s western outskirts, Huertas said he felt vindicated.

“It’s a big weight off my shoulders,” said Huertas, 29, of Blue Island, Illinois. “Compared to all the physical activity we go through, this has been mentally more challenging.”

The AP report quotes Iraqis who claim the verdict was a whitewash and the military prosecutor who argued for a guilty verdict to show “why we’re better than the terrorists.” However, the jury was apparently convinced by the defense argument that there was no proof anything wrong happened:

“Huertas’ lawyers, however, cast strong doubt that Abed was ever beaten in the first place. Photographs of Abed’s face and body taken in the days immediately after the alleged attack show a visible cut inside his lip but no obvious signs of bruising or injuries anywhere else.

“There was no abuse,” Monica Lombardi, Huertas’ civilian attorney, told the jury. She said Abed could have bit his lip on purpose to cast blame on U.S. troops, calling it “classic terrorist training.”

A second SEAL will be tried in Baghdad on similar charges starting Friday, while the third SEAL charged with hitting Abed will go on trial May 3 in Virginia.

— DRJ

10 Responses to “Navy SEAL Not Guilty in Iraqi Abuse Case”

  1. Pure cover-up, and proof that military tribunals are ridiculous and that Barack Obama was right in trying KSM in New York.

    JD (9f2abc)

  2. What was your grade in that Hyperbole Seminar?

    AD - RtR/OS! (898e6a)

  3. John Murtha could not be reached for comment.

    daleyrocks (1d0d98)

  4. Heh!

    AD - RtR/OS! (898e6a)

  5. Do we still have this terrorist in custody, Abed, I mean? If so, how about putting him in a pillory and letting citizens come up and giving him a belt in the mouth?

    PCD (1d8b6d)

  6. I say we waterboard him to get the truth of what really happened.

    Thomas (4d15b9)

  7. Second SEAL, Keefe, also Not Guilty!

    YEAH!!!!!

    This was the “mastermind”.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  8. Holder, Gates, and Obama are probably huddled on how to punish the military for not being guilty.

    PCD (1d8b6d)

  9. Since I think the third man on trial is accused of letting this happen, and the one accused of doing it isn’t guilty, I sure hope that means we’ll have these heroes exonerated. You can’t give them back the effects of this kind of witchhunt, but I’m still glad (and sadly, a bit surprised), that they are seeing justice.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  10. This is how insane our nation has become. There are pictures of the skumbags face, and yet they go forward with a trial.
    Further, I’d bet the one witness that claimed it happened is a muslim in our military. I don’t know that, but it certainly makes sense.
    Our justice system is one giant JOKE.

    SiliconDoc (7ba52b)


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