Ivan Frederick

In Baghdad, Judge Col. James Pohl also sentenced Frederick, the highest-ranking soldier to be charged in the Abu Ghraib scandal, to a reduction in rank to private, a forfeiture of pay and a dishonorable discharge from the Army.

Frederick's lawyer, Gary Myers, called the sentence excessive and said he would appeal. The other two soldiers so far convicted were jailed for eight months and one year.

Frederick, 38, had pleaded guilty to five charges of abusing detainees at Abu Ghraib in October and November last year.

Maj. Michael Holley, the military prosecutor, told the court: "He's an adult and capable of telling, as we learned, the difference between right and wrong."

The Abu Ghraib affair shocked the world when it broke in April with pictures splashed across the media. Five more military police, including three women, are due to face courts-martial in the coming months.

The Japan Times Weekly: Oct. 30, 2004
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