Mahmudiyah rape and killings #FreeAssange

Sat Apr 9 07:10:34 PDT 2022

TheMahmudiyah rape and killingswere[war crimes](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_crime)involving the[gang-rape](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gang-rape)and murder of 14-year-old[Iraqi](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_people)childAbeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabiand the murder of her family by[United States Army](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army)soldiers on March 12, 2006. It occurred in the family's house to the southwest of[Yusufiyah](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yusufiyah), a village to the west of the town of[Al-Mahmudiyah](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoudiyah,_Iraq),[Iraq](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq). Other members of al-Janabi's family murdered by Americans included her 34-year-old mother Fakhriyah Taha Muhasen, 45-year-old father Qassim Hamza Raheem, and 6-year-old sister Hadeel Qassim Hamza Al-Janabi.[1](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmudiyah_rape_and_killings#cite_note-1)The two remaining survivors of the family, 9-year-old brother Ahmed and 11-year-old brother Mohammed, were at school during the massacre and orphaned by the event.

Mahmoudiyah rape and killings
[Mahmudiyah rape and killings is located in Iraq](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Iraq_physical_map.svg)
[Mahmudiyah rape and killings]
Location	[Yusufiyah](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yusufiyah),[Baghdad Governorate](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baghdad_Governorate),[Iraq](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq)
[Coordinates](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographic_coordinate_system)	[33.06°N 44.22°E](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Mahmudiyah_rape_and_killings&params=33.06_N_44.22_E_type:landmark_source:dewiki)
Date	March 12, 2006; 16 years ago
Target	Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi
Attack type	[War rape](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_rape)
[Mass murder](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_murder)
Deaths	4
Perpetrators	5[United States Army](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army)soldiers from Bravo Company, 1st Battalion,[502nd Infantry Regiment](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/502nd_Infantry_Regiment), 2nd Brigade,[101st Airborne Division](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/101st_Airborne_Division)(Air Assault)

Five U.S. Army soldiers of the[502nd Infantry Regiment](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/502nd_Infantry_Regiment)were charged with rape and murder;[Specialist](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specialist_(rank))Paul E. Cortez, Specialist James P. Barker,[Private First Class](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_First_Class)Jesse V. Spielman, Private First Class Bryan L. Howard, and Private First Class[Steven D. Green](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_D._Green).[2](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmudiyah_rape_and_killings#cite_note-:0-2)Green was discharged from the U.S. Army for[mental instability](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_instability)before the crimes were known by his command, whereas Cortez, Barker, Spielman and Howard were tried by U.S. Army General Courts Martial, convicted, and sentenced to prison.[2](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmudiyah_rape_and_killings#cite_note-:0-2)Green was tried and convicted in a United States civilian court and was sentenced to[life in prison](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_in_prison).[3](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmudiyah_rape_and_killings#cite_note-greenNews-3)

Rape and murders[Edit](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mahmudiyah_rape_and_killings&action=edit&section=2)

On March 12, 2006, soldiers at the checkpoint (from the[502nd Infantry Regiment](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/502nd_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States))) – consisting of Green, Specialist Paul E. Cortez, Specialist James P. Barker, Private First Class Jesse V. Spielman, and Private First Class Bryan L. Howard – had been playing cards, illegally drinking alcohol ([whiskey](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey)mixed with an energy drink), hitting golf balls, and discussing plans to rape Abeer and "kill some[Iraqis](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_people)."[15](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmudiyah_rape_and_killings#cite_note-15)Green was very persistent about "killing some Iraqis" and kept bringing up the idea. At some point, the group decided to go to Abeer's home, after they had seen her passing by their checkpoint earlier. The four soldiers of the six-man unit responsible for the checkpoint – Barker, Cortez, Green, and Spielman – then left their posts for Abeer's home. Two men, Howard and another soldier, remained at the post. Howard had not been involved in discussions to rape and murder the family. He heard the four men talking about it and saw them leave, but thought they were joking and were planning to beat up some Iraqi men to blow off some steam. The sixth soldier at the checkpoint had no involvement.

On the day of the massacre, Abeer's father Qassim was enjoying time with his family, while his sons were at school.[16](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmudiyah_rape_and_killings#cite_note-16)In broad daylight, the four U.S. soldiers walked to the house, not wearing their uniforms, but wearing army-issue long underwear to look like "[ninjas](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja)",[10](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmudiyah_rape_and_killings#cite_note-Time-10)and separated 14 year-old Abeer and her family into two different rooms. Spielman was responsible for grabbing Abeer's 6-year-old sister, who was outside the house with her father, and bringing her inside the house.[17](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmudiyah_rape_and_killings#cite_note-17)Green then broke Abeer's mother's arms (likely evidence of a struggle that resulted when she heard her daughter being raped in the other room) and murdered her parents and younger sister, while two other soldiers, Cortez and Barker, raped Abeer.[18](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmudiyah_rape_and_killings#cite_note-18)Barker wrote that Cortez pushed Abeer to the floor, lifted her dress, and tore off her underwear while she struggled. According to Cortez, Abeer “kept squirming and trying to keep her legs closed and saying stuff in[Arabic](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_people),” as he and Barker took turns holding her down and raping her.[19](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmudiyah_rape_and_killings#cite_note-19)Cortez testified that Abeer heard the gunshots in the room in which her parents and little sister were being held, causing her to scream and cry even more as she was being violently raped by the men. Green then emerged from the room saying, "I just killed them, all are dead".[20](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmudiyah_rape_and_killings#cite_note-20)Green, who later said the crime was "awesome",[21](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmudiyah_rape_and_killings#cite_note-21)then raped Abeer and shot her in the head several times. After the massacre, Barker poured petrol on Abeer and the soldiers set fire to the lower part of the girl's body, from her stomach down to her feet. Barker testified that the soldiers gave Spielman their bloodied clothes to burn and that he threw the[AK-47](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AK-47)used to murder the family into a canal. They left to "celebrate" their crimes with a meal of chicken wings.[22](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmudiyah_rape_and_killings#cite_note-22)Meanwhile, the fire from Abeer's body eventually spread to the rest of the room, and the smoke alerted neighbors, who were among the first to discover the scene.[2](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmudiyah_rape_and_killings#cite_note-:0-2)One recalled, "The poor girl, she was so beautiful. She lay there, one leg was stretched and the other bent and her dress was lifted up to her neck."[11](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmudiyah_rape_and_killings#cite_note-The_Guardian-11)They ran to tell Abu Firas Janabi, Abeer's uncle, that the farmhouse was on fire and that dead bodies could be seen inside the burning building. Janabi and his wife rushed to the farmhouse and doused some of the flames to get inside. Upon witnessing the scene inside, Janabi went to a checkpoint guarded by[Iraqi Army](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_Army)soldiers to report the crime. Abeer's 9- and 11-year-old younger brothers, Ahmed and Mohammed, returned from school that afternoon to find smoke billowing from the windows. After going to their uncle's home, they returned to the house only to be[traumatized](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_trauma), finding their father shot in the head, mother shot in the chest, 6-year-old sister Hadeel shot in the face, and 14-year-old sister Abeer's remains burning.[6](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmudiyah_rape_and_killings#cite_note-Associated_Press-6)

The Iraqi soldiers immediately went to examine the scene and thereafter went to an American checkpoint to report the incident. This checkpoint was different from the one manned by the perpetrators. After approximately an hour, some soldiers from the checkpoint went to the farmhouse.These soldiers were accompanied by at least one of the perpetrators.[[clarify](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify)][[citation needed](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)]
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