Jeremy Sivits
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Jeremy C. Sivits, (born 1979 or 1980), is a former U.S. Army reservist, one of several soldiers charged and convicted by the U.S. Army in connection with the 2003-2004 Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal in Baghdad, Iraq during and after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Graner, with other soldiers, is accused of allowing and inflicting physical, and psychological abuse of Iraqi prisoners of war. Considered by many to be a torturer and war criminal, Graner held the rank of specialist in the 372nd Military Police company during his tour of duty in Iraq.
He is the first soldier convicted in connection with the Abu Ghraib incidents.
Biography
At the age of five, Jeremy Sivits and his parents, Daniel and Freda "Sissy" Sivits, moved to Hyndman. It was in this tiny former railroad town of about 1,000 people in southwestern Pennsylvania that Sivits, nicknamed "Puggs," grew up.
Sivits is married to Holly.
Timeline
- May 5, 2004: Sivits was charged under Uniform Code of Military Justice with the following:
- Conspiracy to maltreat detainees
- Maltreatment of detainees
- Dereliction of duty for negligently failing to protect detainees from abuse, cruelty and maltreatment
- May 12, 2004: Sivits is moved to detention separate from other military police charged with misconduct.
- Sivits, sentenced to a year of prison, is demoted from specialist to private and is given a bad conduct discharge.
Sivits was the photographer who took many of the photographs at the prison which became notorious after some were first aired on the 60 Minutes II news television show. His father, David Sivits, is a former serviceman. He claims that Sivits was trained as a mechanic, not a prison guard, and that he "was just doing what he was told to do." [1] (http://www.wtop.com/index.php?sid=199821&nid=116&template=print) His mother is Freda Sivits.
Charges
Some reports say he has admitted that senior commanders in his unit would have stopped the abuse if they had known about it; others say that he has said that the abuse was condoned by commanders.
His "special" court-martial (less severe than "general"; sentence is not more than one year confinement) was held on May 19, 2004 in Baghdad. He pled guilty and testified against some of his fellow guards.
Sivits's testimony included reporting seeing Charles Graner punching a naked detainee "with a closed fist so hard in the temple that it knocked the detainee unconscious", and seeing Lynndie England stomping on the feet and hands of detainees with her boots.
The court martial sentenced Sivits to the maximum sentence, one year of confinement, in addition to being discharged for bad conduct and demoted.
Human Rights Watch was not allowed in the court room.
| Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse |
| Top officials |
| President George W. Bush | Vice President Dick Cheney | Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld | Alberto Gonzales |
| Civilian contractors |
| Steven Stephanowicz | Joe Ryan |
| Defense Department officials and military officers |
| Deputy Undersecretary of Intelligence Stephen Cambone | Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez | Major General Barbara Fast Major General Geoffrey Miller | Colonel Janis Karpinski | Colonel Thomas Pappas | Lieutenant General William Boykin |
| Enlisted soldiers |
| Sergeant Joseph Darby | Sergeant Javal Davis | Private First Class Lynndie England Staff Sergeant Ivan Frederick | Specialist Charles Graner | Specialist Sabrina Harman | Jeremy Sivits |