US officer found not guilty of Abu Ghraib abuse

WASHINGTON, Aug 28 (Reuters) A court-martial today found a US Army officer not guilty of responsibility for the abuse of prisoners at Iraq's Abu Ghraib jail but convicted him for disobeying an order not to discuss the investigation.

Army Lt Col Steven Jordan, the only US military officer to face court-martial in the Abu Ghraib case, had denied the charges against him and argued he was being made a scapegoat for the scandal, which provoked worldwide outrage.

The military court at Fort Meade, Maryland, just outside Washington, convicted Jordan of willfully disobeying a superior commissioned officer, said Army spokeswoman Joanna Hawkins.

But Jordan was acquitted of being responsible for cruel treatment of detainees.

Prosecutors said Jordan was in charge of an interrogation center at the jail west of Baghdad but his defense team said he had no command authority over anyone at the prison.

Jordan was expected to be sentenced later Tuesday and could face a maximum penalty of five years in jail and dismissal from the Army, Hawkins said.

Images of the 2003 abuse, including naked detainees stacked in a pyramid and others cowering before snarling dogs, became public in April 2004.

The widely publicized pictures triggered international condemnation of the United States and damaged the reputation of the US military as it waged war in Iraq.

Several low-ranking soldiers have been convicted in military courts in connection with the physical abuse and sexual humiliation of detainees at Abu Ghraib.

Two officers senior to Jordan at Abu Ghraib have been disciplined by the Army but neither faced criminal charges.

Reuters MS VP0000