Lewis E. Welshofer Jr.

Infobox Military Person
name= CWO3 Lewis E. Welshofer Jr.
born= birth year and age|1964
died=
placeofbirth=
placeofdeath=


caption=U.S. Army Photo
nickname=
allegiance=flagicon|United States United States of America
branch= United States Army
serviceyears=
rank=Chief Warrant Officer 3
commands=
unit=
battles=War in Iraq
awards=
laterwork=

Lewis E. Welshofer Jr. is an United States Army soldier, convicted of homicide of an Iraqi prisoner of war on November 23 2003 in al-Qaim.cite journal| url=http://www.gazette.com/war/0625xwar.html| title=Four face charges in Iraq death: Two are from Fort Carson, Pentagon report confirms| journal=Colorado Springs Gazette| month=June 25| year=2004] Welshofer was then serving as a Chief Warrant Officer in the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment.

Following a technique he alleged was approved by his superiors, Welshofer placed Iraqi Major General Abed Hamed Mowhoush headfirst into a sleeping bag, wrapped the bag tightly with electrical cords, then sat on his chest and held his mouth closed. General Mowhoush had eight broken ribs from an earlier beating, allegedly carried out by CIA contractors under Welshofer's direction. American forces believed Mowhoush, a former high-level officer in Saddam Hussein's regime, was one of the leaders of the Iraqi insurgency. He had voluntarily surrendered to the Americans in hopes of helping free his sons, who were being held by the Americans.

In his defense, Welshofer had stressed that the General was refusing to acknowledge leading the insurgency, and that his superiors were insisting that Army interrogators "take the gloves off" when dealing with Iraqi prisoners. At his court martial a CIA official who observed Welshofer's interrogation techniques, wrote a memo because he was alarmed when Welshofer told him that he violated interrogation rules every day.cite journal| url=http://www.gazette.com/display.php?id=1313845| title= Secret witness: Carson interrogator broke rules| journal=Colorado Springs Gazette| month=January 19| year=2006]

On January 17, 2006, military judge Mark Toole rejected the request from attorney Frank Spinner, to dismiss the charges.cite journal| url=http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4392961,00.html| title=Carson soldier's charges will stand: Juror worried defense in case of Iraqi's death| journal=Rocky Mountain News| month=January 17| year=2006] CWO Jefferson L. Williams and Spc Jerry L. Loper both agreed to testify against Welshofer in exchange for a reduction in their own charges relating to the death. Welshofer claimed he was only following orders which came all the way from the Pentagon and Donald Rumsfeld.

Welshofer was ultimately convicted of negligent homicide, and negligent dereliction of duty on January 21, 2006. The jury took 6 hours of deliberation. Welshofer could have faced a dishonorable discharge as well as up to 39 months in prison, but received only 60 days of barracks confinement and he was ordered to forfeit 6,000 US$ in salary. [cite web| url= http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/01/23/suffocation.case.ap/index.html| title=404 error| accessdate=2006-03-23| publisher=CNN.com] Critics around the world questioned the verdict's leniency.cite journal| url=http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1138722422282140.xml&coll=6| title= Light sentence; wrong message| journal=The Grand Rapids Press| month=January 31| year=2006] cite journal| url=http://www.sptimes.com/2006/01/29/Columns/The_man_who_holds_the.shtml| title=The man who holds the CIA accountable doesn't| journal=St Petersburg Times| month=January 29| year=2006] cite journal| url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-interrogate20jan20,0,1531849.story?coll=la-home-headlines| title=Trial Illuminates Dark Tactics of Interrogation| journal=Los Angeles Times| month=January 30| year=2006| format=Dead link|date=May 2008] cite journal| url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-abuse25jan25,0,4530365.story?coll=la-home-nation| title=Mild Penalties in Military Abuse Cases: Observers see a variety of reasons for light sentences, even in interrogation deaths -- including shifting rules and CIA involvement| journal=Los Angeles Times| month=January 25| year=2006| format=Dead link|date=May 2008] cite web| url=http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m20091&l=i&size=1&hd=0| title=Army court martial conceals CIA involvement in death of former Iraqi general| first=Andre| last=Damon| month=January 30| year=2006| accessdate=2006-03-23| publisher=Uruknet.info] cite web| url=http://www.socialistworker.org/2006-1/574/574_02_SlapOnWrist.shtml| title=Slap on the wrist for killing Iraqi detainee| publisher=Socialist Worker Online| first=Nicole| last=Colson| month=February 3| year=2006| accessdate=2006-03-23] cite journal| url=http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=70033&version=1&template_id=43&parent_id=19| title=Soldier escapes jail time over prisoner death| journal=Gulf Times| month=January 25| year=2006] cite journal| url=http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=10525| title=Army officer found guilty in Iraqi’s death| journal=Al Jazeera| month=January 22| year=2006| format=Dead link|date=May 2008] cite web| url=http://www.mmorning.com/articleC.asp?Article=3255&CategoryID=6| title=Iraq: The hard work of forming a government| publisher=Monday Morning| accessdate=2006-03-23 (404 error as of last access date)]

Notes

External links

* [http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0124-03.htm Amazing but TRUE... No Jail Time for US Soldier Over Iraqi Prisoner Death]

ee also

References

# [http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2006/01/27/welshofer/ More than a "few rotten apples":A U.S. soldier who tortured an Iraqi general to death got his wrist slapped. Yet his appalling sentence made a certain sense] , "Salon (magazine)", January 27 2006