US: A US military jury has found army reservist Sabrina Harman guilty of mistreating Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib.
Harman (27) appeared in some of the most notorious Abu Ghraib prison photographs, including one in which she posed with a pyramid of naked detainees.
The jury found her guilty on Monday of one count of conspiracy related to that incident which was beamed across the world a year ago. The court began the penalty phase of her trial yesterday.
In only the second Abu Ghraib case to go to trial, the military panel also found Harman placed wires on a hooded Iraqi and warned him he would be electrocuted if he stepped off a box - one of five maltreatment charges she faced.
She was found guilty on that charge even though Ivan Frederick, another soldier already convicted of Abu Ghraib abuses, testified last week that he had placed the wires. A former pizza restaurant worker, Harman pleaded innocent last week and could face a maximum of 5½ years in prison.
The jury found her not guilty on one of seven charges, that she had maltreated prisoners by photographing and video-taping detainees forced to masturbate at Abu Ghraib. That charge could have added an additional year to her sentence.
Earlier on Monday, Harman's lawyer showed the jury a letter she had written to her roommate just days before the most notorious abuses took place.
"Kelly, I don't like that any more. At first it was funny, but these people are going too far," Harman wrote to her roommate on October 20th, 2003.
"At first I had to laugh. The only reason I want to be there is to get the pictures to prove the US is not what they think. But I don't know if I can take it mentally.
"What if that was me in their shoes? These people will be our future terrorists.
"Kelly, it's awful . . . Both sides of me think it's wrong. I thought I could handle anything; I was wrong."
The defence introduced the handwritten letter to Harman's best friend and roommate, Kelly Bryant, in explaining why the reservist had photographed scenes of abuse.
"Shame on the army for putting in an ill-equipped, ill-trained specialist in a position where she has to challenge her NCO [ non-commissioned officer] leadership . . . This is not one of the army's highest moments," defence lawyer Frank Spinner said in his closing arguments.
Six US soldiers including Frederick have already pleaded guilty to Abu Ghraib abuses. Ringleader Charles Graner was sentenced to 10 years in prison in January.