Jeremy Sivits

Jeremy C. Sivits (born 1979 or 1980) is a former U.S. Army reservist, one of several soldiers charged and convicted by the U.S. Army in connection with the 2003-2004 Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal in Baghdad, Iraq during and after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He was a member of the 372nd Military Police Company during this time.

Sivits was the man who took many of the photographs at the prison which became notorious after some were first aired on the 60 Minutes II news television show. His father, David Sivits, a former serviceman, claims that Sivits was trained as a mechanic, not a prison guard, and that he "was just doing what he was told to do." Sivits was the first soldier convicted in connection with the Abu Ghraib incidents.

Charges

On May 5, 2004: Sivits was charged under Uniform Code of Military Justice with the following:
*Conspiracy to maltreat detainees
* Maltreatment of detainees
*Dereliction of duty for negligently failing to protect detainees from abuse, cruelty and maltreatment

On May 12, 2004 Sivits was moved to detention separate from other military police charged with misconduct. Some reports say he has admitted that senior commanders in his unit would have stopped the abuse if they had known about it; others say that he has said that the abuse was condoned by commanders.

Trial

His special court-martial (sentence is not more than one year confinement) was held on May 19, 2004 in Baghdad. Sivits pled guilty and testified against some of his fellow guards. Sivits's testimony included reporting seeing Charles Graner punching a naked detainee "with a closed fist so hard in the temple that it knocked the detainee unconscious", and seeing Lynndie England stomping on the feet and hands of detainees with her boots.

The court martial sentenced Sivits to the maximum sentence, one year of confinement, in addition to being discharged for bad conduct and demoted from specialist to private. Human Rights Watch was not allowed in the court room.

External links

* [http://www.slate.com/id/2100770/ Jeremy Sivits: Fired and Demoted? Plus, a primer: How do courts-martial work? What are the punishments? Can you appeal?] , "Slate (magazine)", May 19, 2004