(Washington, D.C.)–Congressman Jim Langevin, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, will hear testimony from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other high-ranking Pentagon officials tomorrow at approximately 3:00 p.m.  The witnesses will testify before the full committee regarding the alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers.  In addition to Secretary Rumsfeld, the following officials are scheduled to appear: General Richard B. Myers, USAF, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Honorable Les Brownlee, Acting Secretary of the Army; General Peter J. Schoomaker, Chief of Staff of the Army; and Lieutenant General Lance L. Smith, Deputy Commander of Central Command

 Langevin offered the following statement earlier today:

“Recent reports regarding the alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers are deeply disturbing and inexcusable.  While I know this outrageous behavior is not characteristic of men and women in uniform, we must make it clear to the international community and our own citizens that such actions are not our policy or common practices in Iraq, and they will not be tolerated under any circumstances.  It is unfortunate that these abuses have overshadowed the work of the many servicemembers performing critical, and dangerous, missions to ensure a stable and safe Iraq for the newly-freed Iraqi people.

I am equally troubled by the Administration's lack of attention to such abuses in Iraq and elsewhere.  There is no excuse for their failure to act swiftly to remedy this stark violation of both the Geneva Convention and basic human rights.  Not only did they withhold such allegations and the subsequent investigation from Congress, but the flouting of international law continued while those responsible went unpunished.

The Administration and the Pentagon must find those responsible and hold them accountable for these heinous actions. I have joined many of my colleagues in requesting Secretary Rumsfeld to instruct the Military Inspector General of the Department of Defense to supervise the investigation of tortured Iraqi prisoners of war, and other reported violations of the Geneva Convention at Abu Ghraib Prison.  In addition, I have urged Attorney General Ashcroft to investigate the role of private contractors in these abuses.  I hope that thorough and open investigations will allow us to hold the appropriate parties responsible and ensure such behavior never occurs again.”

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