Megan Ambuhl

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Megan M. Ambuhl
(now Megan M. Graner)
Megan M. Ambuhl poses to the left of the body of “Gus," an Iraqi prisoner. The image was taken by her now imprisoned husband, Charles Graner.
Born 1974-5
Flag of the United States Centerville, Virginia, Virginia
Status Sentenced
Spouse Charles Graner
Children Unknown

Megan M. Ambuhl (born 1974-5) is a former U.S. Army reservist and one of several members of the 372nd Military Police Company charged by the Army in connection with the 2003-2004 Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal.[1]

Ambuhl was born in 1974 or 1975 in Centreville, Virginia.[2] She graduated High School in 1992, and then attended Coastal Carolina College. She received a B.S. in Biology and then entered military service in January 31, 2002. She completed basic training in June of 2002. In May 2003 she, along with the other members of the 372d Military Police (MP) Company, arrived in Kuwait, Iraq.[3]

[edit] Charges, Trial and Plea Bargain

Ambuhl was served with a Court Martial in August 2004 in connection with prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib. She was represented by a Washington, D.C-based civilian lawyer, Harvey J. Volzer. A June 2004 Newsday article reported that Ambuhl, who had not yet appeared in any of the released photographs, was not involved in the incidents at Abu Ghraib:

A key part of the defense being prepared by Harvey Volzer, a lawyer for Spc. Megan Ambuhl, who England and another soldier both have said was not directly involved in the abuse. Volzer will argue Ambuhl could not have been derelict in her duty to guard prisoners because the memos show that the government believed the rough treatment to get information was justified. "We have multiple legal memoranda ... condoning what these people did," he said.[4]

In a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article, Volzer was quoted as saying:

"They don't have a case against her. They really don't ... She's not in any of the photographs you've seen or in any of the ones you haven't. She's not mentioned in any of the statements of doing anything other than being there. She's being charged because everybody on the night shift was being charged."[5]

Army Specialist Megan Ambuhl was convicted on Oct. 30, 2004 for Dereliction of Duty, demoted in rank from Specialist to Private, dismissed from the Army, and docked half a month's pay. She was the third MP reservist and fourth U.S. soldier convicted in the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal.[6][7]

Additional charges brought against Ambuhl were dropped following a pretrial guilt plea but had included allegations of conspiracy, maltreatment, and indecent acts. Ambuhl's entire 122 page, REDACTED Court Martial is available on the ACLU website as a PDF.[8]

[edit] Life Post Trial

In April 2005, she married Charles Graner.[9]

In March of 2006, Salon.com published the most extensive known collection of images relating to the prisoner abuse scandal in Abu Ghraib.[10] Ambuhl appears in several images, including one captioned:

8:16 p.m., Oct. 24, 2003. The detainee "GUS" has a strap around his neck. The detainee is being pulled from his cell as a form of intimidation. SPC AMBUHL is in the picture observing the incident. CPL GRANER is taking the picture. SOLDIER: PFC ENGLAND; SPC AMBUHL.[11]

Another photographs appears to show Ambuhl administering an injection to a prisoner.[12] None of the photographs published by Salon, though, appears to show her directly engaged in prisoner abuse.

Today, Megan Graner runs the website: http://www.supportmpscapegoats.com/ where she has posted documents in support of her husband's innocence. In a Washington Post web interview, she also stated: "[Graner] should be let out now because he and the others in prison have served more prison time than any other soldier sentenced for similar cases [--]including murders."[13]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Trial Watch : Megan Ambuhl
  2. ^ Abuse raises gender issues - The Boston Globe
  3. ^ American Civil Liberties Union
  4. ^ Gordon, Craig. "Battle to defend Lynndie England", Newsday, 2004-06-20. Retrieved on 2004-06-20. 
  5. ^ Fuoco, Michael A., and Cindi Lash. "Not in abuse photos, MP says she's innocent", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2004-05-21. Retrieved on 2004-06-20. 
  6. ^ Abu Ghraib Court Martial, Ambuhl
  7. ^ BBC NEWS | Americas | Iraq prisoner abuse 'encouraged'
  8. ^ American Civil Liberties Union
  9. ^ Behind Failed Abu Ghraib Plea, a Tangle of Bonds and Betrayals - New York Times
  10. ^ "Abu Ghraib Files", Salon.com, 2006-03-14. Retrieved on 2006-06-28. 
  11. ^ "Abu Ghraib Files: 8:16 p.m., Oct. 24, 2003. The detainee 'GUS' has a strap around his neck. The detainee is being pulled from his cell as a form of intimidation. SPC AMBUHL is in the picture observing the incident. CPL GRANER is taking the picture. SOLDIER: PFC ENGLAND; SPC AMBUHL", Salon.com, 2006-03-14. Retrieved on 2006-06-28. 
  12. ^ "Abu Ghraib Files: 5:33 p.m., Nov. 23, 2003. SPC CHRISTOPHERSON is observing SPC AMBUHL giving a shot to a detainee. SOLDIER(S): SPC CHRISTOPHERSON and SPC AMBUHL", Salon.com, 2006-03-14. Retrieved on 2006-06-28. 
  13. ^ Former Abu Ghraib Guard Speaks Out - washingtonpost.com