Sabrina Harman

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Sabrina D. Harman (born January 5, 1978) is a former United States Army reservist, one of several soldiers 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.

Harman, with other soldiers, was tried for allowing and inflicting sexual, physical, and psychological abuse of Iraqi prisoners of war. Harman held the rank of specialist in the 372nd Military Police company during her tour of duty in Iraq. She was sentenced to six months in prison and a dishonorable discharge.

Contents 1 Before Iraq deployment 2 Abu Ghraib scandal 3 Court Martial 3.1 Verdict 4 Harman's response 5 Citings 6 Sources

[edit] Before Iraq deployment

Harman was born in Lorton, Virginia. Her father was a homicide detective, and the family often saw photos of dead people at crime scenes. Harman's mother, Robin, has been described as a "forensics buff."

After the September 11, 2001 attacks, Harman joined the Army Reserves and was assigned to the Cresaptown, Maryland-based 372nd Military Police company. Harman worked for a time as an assistant manager at Papa John's Pizza in Alexandria, Virginia, before her company was activated for duty in Iraq in February 2003, and was deployed to Fort Lee, Virginia for additional training; however, this was in combat support, not I/R, (military jargon for "internment and resettlement.") While she acknowledged that she knew there was a lot of wrong being done, she claims she knew nothing about there being any official rules about prisoner treatment (i.e. the Geneva Convention).

[edit] Abu Ghraib scandal

The following are statements from Harman and others about what transpired:

"She said the prison had no standard operating procedures and on Tier 1A, where suspected insurgents were held, Army intelligence officers 'made the rules as they went.'"

"'They would bring in one to several prisoners at a time already hooded and cuffed,' Harman said by e-mail this week from Baghdad. 'The job of the MP was to keep them awake, make it hell so they would talk.'"

"In his investigation into abuse at the prison, Taguba used a portion of Harman's sworn statement to conclude that prisoners had been abused. Harman stated '... regarding the incident where a detainee was placed on box with wires attached to his fingers, toes and penis, 'that her job was to keep detainees awake.'"

An Army report obtained by The New Yorker magazine quotes testimony from Harman that her job was to keep detainees awake, including one hooded prisoner who was placed on a box with wires attached to his fingers, toes and genitals. In an interview by e-mail from Baghdad, she told the Washington Post it was made clear that her assignment was to break down the prisoners. Two prisoners sent testimony for her defence saying she was more gentle than other guards with Amjad Ismail Khalil al-Taie stating "She has no cruelty in her. Even though she is an American woman, she was just like a sister."

[edit] Court Martial

Harman was accused by the U.S. Army of:

• Photographing the corpse of Manadal al-Jamadi and then posing for a picture with it;
• Striking several prisoners by jumping on them as they lay in a pile;
• Writing "rapeist" [sic] on a prisoner's leg; and
• Attaching wires to a prisoner's hands while he stood on a box with his head covered and threatening electrocution if he fell.

And because of this she is charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice with:

• Conspiracy;
• Dereliction of duty; and
• Cruelty and maltreatment.

Harman was represented by civilian lawyer and retired Air Force colonel Frank Spinner of Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was assisted by Capt. Patsy Takemura and Sgt. Davida McGriff.

[edit] Verdict

Sabrina Harman was convicted on six of the seven counts on May 16, 2005 with an acquittal on one of the maltreatment charges. A military jury of four Army officers and four senior enlisted soldiers deliberated for about 3½ hours before returning their decision. They found her guilty on one count of conspiracy to maltreat detainees, four counts of maltreating detainees and one count of dereliction of duty.

The jury acquitted Harman on one maltreatment count that accused her of photographing a group of Iraqi detainees who were forced by prison guards to masturbate in public. This acquittal was due to the testimonial of one of Harman’s co-defendants who established the fact that she was not present when that incident occurred. The jury also found that she did not commit two of the nine acts that were part of the dereliction charge, but she was convicted of the overall offense.

Harman was sentenced to six months in prison with credit for 51 days already served and a bad conduct discharge. She reportedly showed no reaction while the jury foreman read each of the verdicts, and she left the building without offering any comments to the press.

[edit] Harman's response

• As quoted in the Washington Post:^[1]

"[She] said she was assigned to break down prisoners for interrogation. "They would bring in one to several prisoners at a time already hooded and cuffed," Harman said in interviews by e-mail this week from Baghdad. "The job of the MP was to keep them awake, make it hell so they would talk." She said her military police unit took direction from the military intelligence officers in charge of the facility and from civilian contractors there who conducted interrogations."

• At her sentencing:

"As a soldier and military police officer, I failed my duties and failed my mission to protect and defend. I not only let down the people in Iraq, but I let down every single soldier that serves today. My actions potentially caused an increased hatred and insurgency towards the United States, putting soldiers and civilians at greater risk. I take full responsibility for my actions. ... The decisions I made were mine and mine alone."

[edit] Citings

Harman's attorney said he hopes to see the military chain of command put on trial, rather than low-ranking reservists like Harman. "I don't think we can even begin to imagine the kind of environment that she was in. First of all, she wasn't trained to be a prison guard, so she didn't even know the basic rules. She wasn't trained in military intelligence. I don't think any American can really truly appreciate the stress that existed along with the fact they were undermanned and not trained to perform this mission," he said.[1]

[edit] Sources

• "She's No Stranger To Grisly Images." CBS: 10 May 2003. 18 June 2004.
• Spinner, Jackie. "Soldier: Unit's Role Was to Break Down Prisoners." Washington Post: 8 May 2004. 18 June 2004.