Company description::
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TORTURE CLAIM FILED BY FORMER CANADIAN INMATE IN AMERICAN POW CAMP IN IRAQ
For further information, contact:
Thomas H. Nelson
(503) 230-8311
nelson@nlnk.com
Mr. Hossam Shaltout, a citizen of Canada and a longtime resident of Los Angeles, California, today filed a claim with the U.S. Army for torture, abuse, humiliation, and theft of property, all of which he suffered when he was arrested and imprisoned in an American POW camp in Iraq last spring. One of his torturers was Master Sergeant Lisa Garmin, who was previously discharged from the Army for mistreatment of POWs in that camp. The Army held Mr. Shaltout for over 30 days in miserable conditions at the Bucca POW camp; when it realized that Mr. Shaltout was not an enemy, he was released.
Mr. Shaltout has filed a claim with the Commander of the U.S. Army Claims Service who oversees a program designed to compensate those wronged by the Army. Mr. Shaltout is seeking $350,000 for his ordeal, which is far less than the amount he actually lost because of the arrest and imprisonment. In his complaint, Mr. Shaltout describes in some detail the beatings, threats, and humiliations that were inflicted on him and others. At one point, in order to deter further torture, Mr. Shaltout began to refuse meals; this led to Master Sergeant Girman’s attack on him, which included beating Mr. Shaltout in the face and body and kneeing him in the groin.
Mr. Shaltout Made a complaint against her to the army criminal investigating Division while incarcerated and Master Sergeant Lisa Girman was later discharged from the Army with other than honorable discharge for torture of prisoners of war.
As a consequence of the torture and other mistreatment, Mr. Shaltout suffered medically, psychologically, and financially. Because he was slapped repeatedly on the left side of his head, he has lost most of his hearing in his left ear. The Army withheld his prescription medications from him, which aggravated existing medical conditions. He now suffers from a variety of post-traumatic stress disorders, for which he is under treatment. Finally, the American forces took large amounts of cash from his hotel room as well as virtually all of his personal property; as a result, today Mr. Shaltout’s business enterprises are in shambles.
Mr. Shaltout is represented by attorney Thomas H. Nelson of Portland, Oregon. Mr. Nelson noted, “One of the reasons given for the American invasion of Iraq was to protect innocent civilians from the brutality of the Saddam Hussein regime. One might forgive American brutality if it occurs in the heat of combat; here, however, the mistreatment and torture were systematic, continuous, and not in response to immediate provocations. These actions clearly violated International and United States law, and Mr. Shaltout deserves redress for those actions.”
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