KRT Wire | 01/07/2005 | Defense lawyer blames Army superiors for abuses at Abu Ghraib

KRT Wire | 01/07/2005 | Defense lawyer blames Army superiors for abuses at Abu Ghraib: "Graner's attorney, Guy Womack, reiterated that his defense will center on 'obedience to orders' from officers who he said made it clear to soldiers working in the prison that they were to 'soften up' detainees so they would provide better intelligence about the number and sophistication of attacks against U.S. troops in fall 2003.

None of the orders was illegal, Womack said. And even if they were, Graner didn't know they were.

'If Specialist Graner did not know they were unlawful ... that's an absolute defense on all these charges,' said Womack, a Houston lawyer and retired Marine Corps officer."

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If the government believes crimes were committed at Abu Ghraib, Womack said he wanted to know why the Army hasn't prosecuted any officers. Womack said he wanted to question several senior commanders in Iraq, but some have exercised their constitutional rights not to testify, and others, such as Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, are not required to testify.

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