A former United States of America soldier was indicted by a federal grand jury in Louisville (US) on November 02 on charges that include the rape of an Iraqi girl and deaths of the victim- teenaged girl and members of her family (Her father, mother, and 6-year-old sister) near Mahmoudiyah in Iraq on March 12 this year. The body of the victim too was burned in a bid to destroy evidence of gang rape.
Steven D. Green, 21, a member of the 101st Airborne, was charged with conduct that would constitute conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit aggravated sexual abuse, premeditated murder, murder in perpetration of aggravated sexual abuse, aggravated sexual abuse on a person less than 16 years of age, use of firearms during the commission of violent crimes and obstruction of justice. Green was discharged from the Army in May 2006. The Army has charged his other accomplce-soldiers who have not been discharged with taking part in the incident.
If convicted, he could receive the death sentence, according to a release from the Justice Department.
No disciplined state force can overlook such gross abuse of human rights. An armed force can’t be allowed to run berserk and act as an occupational army. Even a sane person or civilized society can or should condone such brutal misuse of human rights and perpetration of atrocities. Such violation of human rights occasionally comes to the fore whenever an armed force is pressed into service to maintain or restore law and order and too for a prolonged period. But it is the duty of political administrators to dispense justice and that too speedily in such cases as such action by a member of armed forces cause damage beyond redemption to the public relations exercises.
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