Afghan human rights officials yesterday described as âunbelievably lenientâ the sentences US military courts have handed down to American soldiers convicted of abusing two Afghan detainees who later died. One soldier has been sentenced to two months in prison, another to three months. A third was demoted and given a letter of reprimand and a fine. A fourth was given a reduction in rank and pay. âThese punishments are a joke. They all should have got 20 years in prison or be sentenced to death,â said Ahmad Shah Midad, a member of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission. âA personâs life has been taken. They must be punished properly.â
The courts-martial had occurred in the US state of Texas over the past few weeks. The soldiers were charged in relation to the deaths of two Afghans who were in detention at Bagram, the main US base in Afghanistan, in late 2002. One of the two was a 22-year-old taxi driver known only as Dilawar. The other was Mullah Habibullah, who was about 30. The Army has publicly acknowledged the two deaths and announced in October that up to 28 US soldiers face possible charges. According to Human Rights Watch, which said it has obtained unreleased Army reports about the deaths, the two men were chained to the ceiling in standing positions, one at the waist and one by the wrists, while their feet remained on the ground. One of them was maimed over a five-day period, dying with his leg muscle tissue destroyed from blows to the knees and lower body, the New York-based rights group has said. |