7 National Guard members jailed for abuse
Big News Network (UPI)
Sunday 16th October, 2005
Seven members of the California National Guard have been sentenced to prison terms for using a stun gun to abuse Iraqi prisoners.
All were members of the First Battalion of the 184th Infantry Regiment, the Los Angeles Times reported. The battalion has had a rough year, with seven soldiers killed and 71 wounded in combat -- about 10 percent of its strength -- and allegations of misconduct.
The seven soldiers included three sergeants who received terms of up to 12 months.
An investigation into the stun gun incidents began when a soldier who was not involved found videotape on a laptop and reported it to his superiors. The victims were Iraqis who had been detained and who proved not to be insurgents, although some were petty thieves.
The abuse took place at a Baghdad power plant in March. The soldiers reportedly used a stun gun on handcuffed prisoners, in one case turning it on a man's testicles.
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