Contractor in Iraq to face court-martial on assault charge

Contractor in Iraq to face court-martial on assault charge
By Joseph Giordono, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Tuesday, May 13, 2008

A contractor in Iraq accused of aggravated assault will face a U.S. military court-martial, the first such case under an amendment to rules covering civilians with U.S. forces in combat zones, officials said Monday.

Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, the commander of Multi-National Corps – Iraq, has referred to a general court-martial the assault charge against Alaa “Alex” Mohammed Ali, an interpreter who allegedly stabbed another contractor during a dispute in February.

As of Monday, no date for the beginning of the court-martial has been set.

“The accused has a statutory right to a five-day period between the time he is served with the charges and the date of trial,” a military spokesman in Baghdad said Monday. “The court-martial will be held in Iraq, but it is not determined exactly where yet.” The military trial will be the first under a 2006 amendment to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which now provides for military trials of civilian contractors working for the U.S. government.

Ali has been held at Camp Victory, Iraq, since Feb. 29. Six days earlier, Ali allegedly stabbed a fellow translator four times in the chest during an argument at a combat outpost near Hit, officials have said.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=54751