Death of Abed Hamed Mowhoush

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Abed Hamed Mowhoush
Native name
عبد حمد مهاوش
Born(1947-07-19)19 July 1947
First Gulf War

Abed Hamed Mowhoush (Arabic "عبد حمد مهاوش") was an

2003 Invasion of Iraq, until his surrender to United States forces on 10 November 2003. He died on 26 November 2003 while in U.S. custody at the Al-Qaim detention facility approximately 200 miles (320 km) northwest of Baghdad
, following a 16-day period of detention.

Mowhoush was commissioned as a heavy transport and airlift pilot officer in 1969 and commanded a

An-26
.

U.S. forces initially claimed that Mowhoush had been captured during a raid and that he had died of

natural causes, but The Washington Post later reported that he had given himself up in an effort to secure the release of his sons.[1] In 2005, four U.S. servicemen were charged in relation to the killing.[2]

Controversy over U.S. claims

The circumstances of Mowhoush's capture, detention and death appear to have been the subject of a campaign of misinformation by U.S. military authorities, who retracted or amended several of their initial claims.

  • It was initially claimed that Mowhoush had been captured during a raid, but it was later admitted that he had voluntarily surrendered.[1]
  • Information which was initially released indicated that Mowhoush was cooperating and had revealed the names of key insurgents, but it was later admitted that he had revealed little during the period when he was well-treated and absolutely nothing after the tactics became harsh.[1]
  • Despite Mowhoush dying while being tortured, the U.S. military claimed in a news release that his death was brought about by natural causes.[1]

According to The Washington Post:

Hours after Mowhoush's death in U.S. custody on 26 November 2003, military officials issued a news release stating that the prisoner had died of natural causes after complaining of feeling sick. Army psychological-operations officers quickly distributed leaflets designed to convince locals that the general had cooperated and outed key insurgents. The U.S. military initially told reporters that Mowhoush had been captured during a raid. In reality, he had walked into the Forward Operating Base "Tiger" in Qaim on 10 November 2003, hoping to speak with U.S. commanders to secure the release of his sons, who had been arrested in raids 11 days earlier.[1]

Investigation, arrests and trial

Mowhoush died while being tortured by coalition forces associated with the

trauma to the chest and legs".[5] The report further stated that the general had suffocated "during interrogation by military intelligence, after having been interrogated by the CIA".[3]

In 2004, four arrests were made in connection with Mowhoush's death: Chief Warrant Officer

According to The Washington Post:

Senior officers in charge of the facility near the Syrian border believed that such 'claustrophobic techniques' were approved ways to gain information from detainees, part of what military regulations refer to as a "fear up" tactic, according to military court documents.

The delay in the arrest of the accused was reportedly a result of their commanding officer, Colonel David Teeples, being reluctant to pursue charges and preferring a simple reprimand. It was not until the

military law.[6] Documents revealed during these proceedings confirmed that Mowhoush was physically abused
and met his death at the hands of military interrogators:

It was inside the sleeping bag that the 56-year-old detainee took his last breath through broken ribs, lying on the floor beneath a U.S. soldier in Interrogation Room 6 in the western Iraqi desert. Two days before, a secret CIA-sponsored group of Iraqi paramilitaries, working with Army interrogators, had beaten Mowhoush nearly senseless, using fists, a club and a rubber hose, according to classified documents.[1]

In 2005, charges of murder, assault and dereliction of duty were filed by the

War in Afghanistan were charged with homicide related crimes.[6]

Criminal convictions

On January 21, 2006, an American military jury convicted Welshofer of

dereliction of duty in the death of Mowhoush but he was acquitted of the more severe charge of murder. The military jury ordered a reprimand and forfeiture of $6,000 in pay, and restricted him to his home, office and church for two months however he was not sentenced to time in prison.[7][8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f White, Josh (August 3, 2005). "Documents Tell of Brutal Improvisation by GIs". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2011-08-20. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "3 GIs charged in Iraqi's death face courts-martial". The Denver Post. 2 June 2005.
  3. ^
    ISBN 0805082484.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
    )
  4. ^ Grieve, Tim (3 August 2005). "The CIA and the death of Maj. Gen. Abed Hamed Mowhoush". Salon.
  5. ^ "The Stories Behind the Government's Newly Released Army Abuse Photos News & Commentary". American Civil Liberties Union. 11 February 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Army officers to be charged". The Denver Post. 6 June 2005.
  7. ^ Riccardi, Nicholas (24 January 2006). "No Jail Time in Death of Iraqi General". Los Angeles Times.
  8. ^ Schmitt, Eric (22 January 2006). "Army Interrogator Convicted in Death of Iraqi General". The New York Times.


External links