Iraqi prisoner abuse trial begins for U S soldier

FORT MEADE, Md., May 22 (Reuters) A U S Army sergeant went on trial today on charges of abusing Iraqi inmates with his dog in the military's latest prosecution of low-ranking soldiers in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.

The court martial of Sgt. Santos Cardona, 32, could be more significant than those of the 10 American soldiers previously convicted of abuse of Iraqi prisoners because testimony is expected from Maj Gen Geoffrey Miller, who helped shape policies at Abu Ghraib.

Miller would be the highest ranking officer to testify in the cases and was a commander at Guantanamo Bay prison, where captives from Afghanistan and Iraq are held.

Cardona is accused of maltreatment of prisoners, dereliction of duty and assault while allowing his unmuzzled dog to intimidate detainees in 2003 and 2004. If convicted on all charges, he could be sentenced to 16 1/2 years in prison.

Cardona and another dog handler, Sgt Michael Smith, who was convicted on similar charges in March and sentenced to 179 days in prison, allegedly played a ''game'' in which they tried to scare prisoners so badly they urinated and defecated on themselves.

The morning and early afternoon sessions of the trial were spent selecting a panel to hear the charges. Two potential members were excused after expressing strong opinions about the notorious photographs of prisoner abuse that leaked out of Abu Ghraib.

They said the photos, which showed sometimes-nude prisoners being humiliated by Army personnel, inspired hatred among Iraqis and increased the risk for U S soldiers.

Defense Attorney Capt Kirsten M. Mayer said Cardona appears in some of the photos, including one with a naked inmate.

The list of 48 potential witnesses includes former Abu Ghraib guards Ivan Frederick, Charles Graner and his wife, Megan Ambuhl, who all were convicted of prisoner abuse in 2004.

Cardona's defense team is expected to argue that his use of the dog was condoned by his superiors. Only specialists, sergeants and privates have been tried in the Abu Ghraib cases.

Cardona's civilian attorney, Harvey Volzer, said during a 2003 trip to Abu Ghraib that Miller recommended using dogs during interrogations of detainees. Col Thomas Pappas, the top military intelligence officer at Abu Ghraib, has previously testified that Miller suggested using the technique on the theory that Arabs have a fear of dogs.

Pappas, who also is on the list to testify at Cardona's trial, wrote a memo in 2004 calling for an end for the use of dogs to intimidate inmates and recommended that dog handler not be disciplined for abusing detainees.

Treatment of inmates in U S military prisons abroad has been an embarrassing issue for the United States since 2004, when photographs were leaked showing prisoners being abused and sexually humiliated by U S military personnel.

Last week the U N Committee Against Torture called for the closure of the Guantanamo and urged U S President George W Bush to ban interrogation methods that could be considered torture or cruel treatment. It also cited the use of dogs to scare detainees.

Reuters DKS DB2337