The pictures of abuse that we have seen from America are far more
graphic than those photographs (genuine or staged) that the Daily
Mirror has published.
Personally, I find it hard to believe that any American soldier has
no knowledge of the Geneva Convention, reservist or regular. The
claims that the prison guards weren't given the proper direction or
instruction simply sounds like someone passing the buck and trying
to avoid being blamed.
A solider needs to know the Geneva Convention for his or her own
safety - it is a core part of basic training in the UK, as I
imagine it is in the USA - so the denials of responsibility sound
childish and naive. Naturally, senior Officers and NCOs are also to
blame for allowing such practices to go on, but it is no defence to
say 'I was only following orders and did not know I was doing
wrong.'. A soldier has the moral duty to refuse to perform immoral
orders.
Comment statistics for JC on the Making Light blog
The most recent 20 comments posted to Making Light by JC:
Show all comments by JC.