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WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2004 – A soldier pleaded guilty at a Baghdad court-martial today to several charges stemming from events at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
Army Staff Sgt. Ivan L. Frederick entered guilty pleas on one charge of conspiracy to maltreat detainees, one charge of dereliction of duty for failing to protect detainees from maltreatment, four charges of maltreating detainees, one charge of assaulting a detainee, and one charge of committing an indecent act. After the military judge accepted Frederick's guilty plea, the trial entered the sentencing phase. The government called one of the detainees who had been abused to testify, and the defense started its case by calling Fredrick, who provided an unsworn statement. The defense also called several witnesses who testified by video teleconferencing. The trial will continue Oct. 21, with the defense scheduled to call more witnesses. (From a Multinational Force Iraq news release.)
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