Spc. Jeremy Sivits, the first soldier to face a court-martial in the abuse scandal, is one of seven military police officers facing charges in the case. He will plead guilty at a court-martial proceeding next week, the Washington Post reported on Friday.
Sivits admitted in a sworn statement that he photographed the abuse but never reported it, according to the newspaper. He told investigators how guards led by Spc. Charles Graner abused the detainees during nightly rounds. According to the Times, Sivits said all of the abuse was done without the knowledge of their superiors in the Army chain of command. “Our command would have slammed us,” he said, according to documents quoted by the paper. “They believe in doing the right thing. If they saw what was going on, there would be hell to pay.” He said Graner warned him not to say anything, telling him: “You did not see (this).” According to the Times, Sivits said the soldiers appeared to be enjoying abusing the prisoners.
Sivits’ offer to plead guilty was accepted by the staff judge advocate overseeing his court-martial, according to a memo reviewed by The Washington Post and lawyers representing others charged in the case, the newspaper said. But the paper said it could not be determined to which charge he would plead guilty. Details
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