US female soldier convicted for Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse

Lynndie England, a female US Army reservist involved in mistreating prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, was convicted Monday by a military jury on six of seven counts.

England, 22, was found guilty by the five-member panel in Fort Hood, Texas, of six counts, which included one count of conspiracy, four counts of maltreating detainees and one count of committing an indecent act.

England's case now moved into the sentencing phase, which would start later in the day and be determined by the same jury. She faces a maximum 10 years in jail.

England's trial was the last of nine Army reservists charged with abusing Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib in 2003.

The prisoner abuse scandal was made public in late April last year, and brought worldwide condemnation on the United States. England became the public face of the scandal after photographs showing her holding a leash attached to a naked prisoner were published.

Army reserve brigadier general Janis Karpinski and military intelligence officer colonel Thomas Pappas were punished in nonjudicial proceedings, but no officers have been tried for the scandal so far.

Source: Xinhua