Iraqi outrage as US marine walks free for massacre
Updated 2.44pm: A US military court judge ruled that Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich will serve no time in jail for a 2005 massacre that killed 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha, enraging local Iraqis who condemned the verdict as an "assault on the blood of Iraqis."
Iraq vowed to take legal action in response to the soft verdict, which has spurned outrage in the country that endured nine years of US occupation.
"We think that the punishment is not suitable with the crime that was committed," said Ali Mussawi, spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
"We will keep pursuing the legal channels to fight for the rights of our citizens who were victims of indiscriminate shooting, without having committed any sins," he said.
Wuterich, who led an eight-man squad whose other members have all been exonerated, was sentenced to 90 days confinement, but he will not serve them under a deal with prosecutors.
The judge also said Wuterich will not suffer a pay cut, citing his financial circumstances as a single father, despite having participated in the slaughter of Iraqi women and children.
The 31-year-old admitted to one count of negligent dereliction of duty Monday, but denied he was a "cold-blooded baby-killer."
Charges of manslaughter over the killings were dropped as part of a plea deal, and the only punishment Wuterich will receive for the war crime is a reduction of his ranking to private (E-1).
The victims included 10 women or children killed at point-blank range. Six people were killed in one house, most shot in the head, including women and children huddled in a bedroom.
In Haditha itself, residents of those killed reacted with shock and disgust.
"This is an assault on the blood of Iraqis," lamented Khalid Salman, a Haditha city councillor and lawyer for the victims.
"That is only a punishment for ... small crimes. But killing 24 innocent people, and only receiving a punishment of three months? This is an assault on humanity."
Salman vowed to continue pursuing the case, while a doctor at the town's hospital insisted that residents would never forget the killings.
Salman insisted the sentence did not "mean the end" of his legal efforts.
"There are orphans, widows, and old people who are still suffering and hurting from that terrible massacre. ... If we find no way, we will go to the international courts," he said.
Some residents, including one woman who lost relatives at the time and still lives on the street where much of the violence took place, were so upset by the judgment that they declined to speak to reporters.
"People in Haditha are depressed, especially the families of the victims, the families of the innocent who were murdered for no reason," said Assem Omar al-Hadithi, a journalist with Al-Anbar satellite television who grew up in the town.
In a prepared statement, Wuterich insisted, in a resonant, calm voice after witness testimony, that he was only doing his duty.
"The truth is, I don't believe anyone in my squad... behaved in any way that was dishonorable or contrary to the highest ideals that we all live by as marines."
"But even with the best intentions, sometimes combat actions can cause tragic results," he said
All US marines involved in the massacre will now continue freely with their lives, while the relatives of the innocents massacred struggle on with the pain. That the killers have not been served justice adds salt to the wound.
"We don't want to talk about forgiveness and kindness – all we want is justice," al-Hadithi said.
Iraq had pushed for US troops to be subject to Iraqi justice before the US pullout in December.
US and NATO rejected Iraqi requests to have their troops subject to domestic Iraqi law, where they would have been liable for any crimes committed against Iraqi civilians.
The US is also not a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), thus its armed forces cannot be held accountable for war crimes outside of US jurisdiction.
The Obama administration has, however, voiced its support for the ICC on cases such as Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, while shielding its own soldiers from international law.
(Al-Akhbar, AFP)
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- Tags: war crimes, united states, massacre, Iraq War, Iraq
Comments
I think this shows that the americans are like the Israelis and the life of a non white person is not worht anything in their eyes, this is just like what they thought of black slaves, this is what Hitler thought of Jews, this is what South Africa thought of blacks, so this is a very dangerous situation because we have the ricvhest country in the world who wants to ethnically cleanse the world of muslims, and as a hindu it hink we should all unite and finally work to remove any power from the white devil! we have had 300 years of white people treating non white people as animals and they must finally be brought to justice or isolates in the world!....Could not have said it better!
I think this shows that the americans are like the Israelis and the life of a non white person is not worht anything in their eyes, this is just like what they thought of black slaves, this is what Hitler thought of Jews, this is what South Africa thought of blacks, so this is a very dangerous situation because we have the ricvhest country in the world who wants to ethnically cleanse the world of muslims, and as a hindu it hink we should all unite and finally work to remove any power from the white devil! we have had 300 years of white people treating non white people as animals and they must finally be brought to justice or isolates in the world! New world order dictates that the west be frozen out and left to fend of their own resources not the resources of the middle east or asia, or even south america and let them starve to death! No white person will feel the shame of killing children and many have read this story without feeling any remorse just like they dont cry when foxhunting, in their world muslims are less than animals and i see it everyday living in britain! The propoganda and brainwashing is ridiculous! only yesterday did i hear on teh radio that Irans nuclear ammbition is differnt to Israel because israel is a democracy, really? Hamas is democratically elected, and to refuse dialogue then that is not democracy, and finally Nazism is growing in europe and US, that Europe has 7 Nazi run countries in europe, liek france, austria, sweden, norway and britain has a Nazi european MP, this is driving the attitude towards non whites and a new Nazi oppression is around the corner and Asia should beware of assets based in europe as they will disappear overnight. India to is being raped as we speak as Vodafona is trading in India but refused to pay tax, letting open the doors to all non indian companies to trade there and never pay the indian goverment any tax, within 10 years india will be back to being a third world country because it made friends with the white devil in europe! wake up and feel some pride that we asians and arabs have had our history tainted and demonised by british historians, who think the Greeks taught the world but the Vedas outdate them by a 1,000 years minimum and the British Asiatic Society deliberately made up the story of an Aryan Invasion, which historians are now saying never happened but the UK used it to justify their occupation of India, thus bellittling indian history. Shame many indians still beleive magical white people came over and taught us our own religion and culture! It is now well recognised the british tried to falsefy vedic heritage and the dating of the harrapan and mohenjo daro culture by over 2,000 years, this has been the basis for White Supremacy! really is time for a new world order and white european isolation!
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