Judge Clears Way for Abu Ghraib Trial

By DAVID DISHNEAU
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A military judge refused to dismiss charges against the only officer accused of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, rejecting defense arguments that a senior officer had illegally influenced the case.
The decision, issued Tuesday, clears the way for Army Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan's general court-martial to begin Aug. 20.
Jordan, 51, faces six counts, including cruelty and maltreatment of detainees in 2003 when U.S. guards and interrogators physically abused and sexually humiliated prisoners at the prison near Baghdad. Jordan, who was the director of the prison's interrogation center, isn't accused of personally abusing detainees but of failing to stop lower-ranking soldiers from doing so.
He also is charged with dereliction of duty, failure to obey a lawful general order, willfully disobeying orders, making a false official statement and making a false sworn statement. Jordan, a reservist from Fredericksburg, Va., could be sentenced to 16 1/2 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

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