By Vivek Thiagarajan
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Middle East
BAGHDAD, Iraq- Two Marines are being charged for the incident revolving the incident in Haditha, Iraq. Lance Cpl. Steven Tatum’s charges are “involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault.” (BBC News- Two marines to face Haditha trial) Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani is has been charged with “dereliction of duty and failing to report and investigate deaths.” (BBC News- Two marines to face Haditha trial) Lt. Col. Chessani was also released of his command in April 2006 because of his role in the killings. The Lt. Col. is the highest ranking officer since the Vietnam War to face court martial regarding his actions in combat.
The incident occurred in Haditha, which is located in the Anbar province, November 19, 2005. Twenty-four Iraqi civilians were killed, including three women and seven children. The United States military initially reported that an improvised explosive device was set off that killed both Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas and many of the Iraqi civilians. The other civilians were supposedly killed by ensuing gunfire with insurgents.
However, local Iraqi survivors reported that the Iraqi civilians were actually gunned down by the American Troops. The Iraqis stated that some angry American troops killed five unarmed men in a taxi who approached the bombing, and later gunning down the other 19 Iraqis at close range. The incident gained great notoriety through a video that showed the aftermath of the killings. The American military later changed its stance and apologized to the survivors in Haditha.
The trial will hopefully bring justice to the victims’ survivors through forcing each person to take responsibility for their actions attacking innocent civilians. The trial will determine the US military’s stance on unjustified behavior and must show that incidents like Haditha are intolerable and demand high sanctions.
There are many reasons that the military must sanction the individuals responsible for the deaths at Haditha. First, high sanctions must be imposed for the Haditha crimes to dissuade others from committing similar crimes in Iraq. Secondly, the United States can only take a vocal stand against other nations for violating human rights laws, if it holds its own citizens responsible to high standards. Lastly, the military must sanction the men severely in order to win over the people of Iraq.
The marines will be tried in Camp Pendleton, which is located north of San Diego, California. A trial date has not yet been set.
For more information, please see:
BBC News- Two marines to face Haditha trial- 20 October 2007
BBC News- What happened at Haditha?- 21 December 2006
CNN- Two Marines to face courts martial in Haditha incident- 19 October 2007
New York Times- Haditha Charges Pressed in 2 Cases- 20 October 2007
Reuters- Two U.S. Marines face Haditha courts-martial- 20 October 2007
Time Magazine- Collateral Damage or Civilian Massacre in Haditha?- 19 March 2006
