British soldier goes on trial in Iraqi detainee abuse case

January 11, 2005|Associated Press

BERGEN, Germany -- A British soldier accused of abusing Iraqis in his custody was brought before a court-martial at a military base in Germany yesterday, the .rst such case against a British serviceman to come to trial.

Fusilier Gary Bartlam, 20, is one of four soldiers from the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers charged after photos surfaced showing their alleged mistreatment of Iraqis.

Britain's attorney general, Lord Goldsmith, was quoted by the Guardian newspaper as saying that some of the abuse "apparently involves making the victims engage in sexual activity between themselves." Also, a British tabloid, The Sun, published pictures allegedly showing an Iraqi detainee bundled up in netting and suspended from a fork-lift truck.

The judge in Bartlam's case, Michael Hunter, restricted reporting from yesterday's court-martial after concluding that media reports could sway the military jury in the trial of other defendants.

The gag order included reporting on the charges against Bartlam and aspects of the court session at the British base in Bergen.

Bartlam, whose rank is the equivalent of private, was arrested and questioned by military police in May after allegedly taking film to be developed at a shop in England.

The photo lab reportedly alerted police to the content.

Bartlam's military trial by jury at a British barracks in Bergen, north of Hanover, was expected to last up to two days. Proceedings against the three other defendants will start at Osnabrueck later this week. The British military has released few details on the cases and the exact charges against the four soldiers have not been announced.

British troops in Iraq are stationed mostly around Basra in the south.