US soldier's court-martial will be 'transparent'
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-05-11 20:03

The deputy director of US military operations in Iraq, Mark Kimmitt, vowed that the public court-martial this month of a low-ranking US soldier over the alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib detention center will be "transparent."

"I think that we are going to make this process as transparent as possible," US Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt told ABC television.

"But at no time will we ever forfeit the rights enjoyed by that young man. He's innocent until proven guilty."

The court-martial against Specialist Jeremy Sivits has been scheduled to take place in the Iraqi capital on May 19.

If found guilty, Sivits, 24, from the 800th MP Brigade, could be jailed for a year, demoted, thrown out of the army, fined and lose two-thirds of his salary for up to a year, a military legal source said.

"This will not be a show trial," Kimmitt said.

"However, there will be access not only to Western media, but to Arab media,"

"It is important that the people of this country see what a fair and transparent process and legal system that we have," he added.

The investigation into abuse of Iraq prisoners has stirred international outrage, tarnished the US reputation in Iraq and the Arab world and created political havoc within the United States, with many leading political figures calling for the resignation of the US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

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