As the highest ranking soldier to be charged in the scandal, LTC Jordan had all charges against him cleared. LTC Jordan was in charge of the interrogation unit of the prison when there were pictures taken in 2003 of the abuse of the prisoners.
In August, he was cleared of the charges of mistreating prisoners. But he was convicted of disobeying orders. Human rights campaigners have been angered as the conviction against LTC Jordan has been thrown out.
The human rights campaigners say that the military has failed to investigate those further up the chain of command.
So far, eleven low ranking soldiers have been convicted of the abuses taking place in the prison. There were a few sentences of a few hours community service with others with ten years of prison.
LTC Jordan had pleaded not guilty at all charges at the court martial. But he did acknowledge that he emailed a number of soldiers about the investigation. This contradicts the orders not to discuss the case.
The defense gave the argument that while LTC Jordan was in charge of interrogations, he did not have direct control over them.
To the human rights advocates, the decision sent a troubling message.
“It could not be more clear that prisoner abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan resulted from policies and practices authorised by high-level officials, including military and civilian leaders,” Hira Shamsi explains. Shamsi is part of the National Security Project of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Shamsi added: “Although the abuse was systemic and widespread, the accountability for it has been anything but.”
LTC Jordan said that he felt victimized by the press coverage that was hungry for an officer to be blamed.
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