Hi there,

Immigration raids are spreading across the country. The agencies meant to protect public health are being dismantled from within. Public broadcasting is being defunded... Today, Democracy Now!'s independent reporting is more important than ever. Because we never accept corporate or government funding, we rely on viewers, listeners and readers like you to sustain our work. Can you start a monthly donation? Monthly donors represent more than 20 percent of our annual revenue. Thanks to a group of generous donors, all monthly donations started today will be DOUBLED, which means your $15 gift is worth $30. If you believe that freedom of speech and freedom of the press are essential to the functioning of a democratic society, please donate today. Every dollar makes a difference. Thank you so much.

Democracy Now!
Amy Goodman

Non-commercial news needs your support.

We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution.

Please do your part today.

Donate

Army Interrogator Convicted For Killing Jailed Iraqi

HeadlineJan 23, 2006

A military jury has convicted an Army interrogator of negligent homicide for his role in the death of an Iraqi general. The interrogator — Chief Warrant Officer Lewis Welshofer Jr.–killed the Iraqi man by putting a sleeping bag over the general’s head, wrapping him in electrical cord, sitting on his chest and covering his mouth. He faces up to three years in prison. Had Welshofer been convicted of murder, he would been sentenced to life in prison. Attorneys for Welshofer said he had been given permission to use harsh techniques during interrogations. In one email, Captain William Ponce wrote “The gloves are coming off, gentlemen.... We want these individuals broken. Casualties are mounting.” The interrogator’s attorneys also questioned why no one else was charged in the general’s death. The general was severely beaten two days before his death by a group of Iraqis reportedly being paid by the CIA.

The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top