A lawyer for an American soldier charged in the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal was expected to ask the judge to dismiss the case as three defendants returned to court Monday for a pretrial hearing. Paul Bergrin, lawyer for Sgt. Javal S. Davis, said last week that he would ask the judge, Col. James Pohl, to dismiss charges against his client because of "improper command influence" extending all the way to President Bush. Bergrin also contends that senior U.S. military officers sanctioned harsh treatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison and said he would look for evidence that Davis was simply following orders. Before leaving for Baghdad last week, Bergrin said that if the military judge refuses to dismiss the charges, he would try to have the trial moved from Iraq to the United States. The lawyer also said he would seek to interview current and former detainees at Abu Ghraib to "determine the extent of the abuse, whether military intelligence officers were present and gave the orders." | Very bad move; you're guaranteeing your client a conviction. More at the link. |
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