Did U.S. Govt. Officials Cover up Rape in Iraq?

Posted by D. Cupples |  According to ABC News, former Halliburton/KBR employee Jamie Leigh Jones (now age 22) was gang raped by coworkers in Iraq.  A rape kit indicates that she was vaginally and anally raped, but the kit has disappeared.

Instead of contacting law enforcement, Jones' employer reportedly put her under guard in a shipping container (with a bed) and told her that she would lose her job if she left Iraq for medical treatment.  A sympathetic guard let her use a phone, and she called her father -- who called Rep. Ted Poe, (R-TX).   Poe called the State Department, who sent agents to rescue Jones from the container.  More than two years later, the Justice Department has not brought criminal charges against the rapists or the people who kept Jones in the container.

Rep. Poe sought information on any investigations into the rape, but said that neither the U.S. State Department nor Justice Department have given him information.

Apparently, a legal loophole exempts U.S. contractors working in Iraq from facing criminal charges, prompting Jones to seek justice in a civil court.  This may be the same loophole, created in 2004, that could keep security contractors who had shot Iraqi civilians from facing criminal charges.

KBR (which is no longer a Halliburton subsidiary) wants Jones' case heard in private arbitration -- which means that the details would would be hidden from the public.

As indicated in the posts linked below, our nation has had truckloads of trouble with government contractors and government officials charged with keeping contractors accountable.

After the rape, Jones started a non-profit foundation to help U.S. citizens and legal residents who have been victimized by victims of rape and sexual harassment while working overseas for the U.S. government or contractors.

See Memeorandum for other bloggers' comments.

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* Troubled Halliburton-Tied Contractor Ordered out of Iraq

* Audit Red-Flags KBR

* Contractor UNISYS in Trouble Again

* Govt. Contractors: Driving up War's Costs?

* Justice Dept. Official Turned Blind Eye to Contractor Fraud?

* Oversight Hearing: Rice Evasive, Republicans Don't Want Probe

Comments

[Daniel]

I'm curious how she would know what happened to her rape kit since the victims name is not put on the kit, only a tracking number. I'm also curious how the Army nurse could determine if she was raped or not from a single glance, especially 24 hours after it happened, and it is extremely unlikely that the sexual assault nurse examiner ever finds out what the rape kit determines, since it must be analyzed before such a decision can be made. Its also interesting that no dates or names or really anything but accusations and the representatives Poe's comments, theirs absolutely no information on when or how or who was involved in the rape. I'd also like to look into who KBR sends to Iraq, since she was about 19 when this happened it makes me curious. Now if the girl was raped she deserves justice for what was done to her, but I would like to have her answer these questions before anyone can decide if she was raped or not.

[D. Cupples]

Daniel,

You're right: it's odd that ABC didn't put all of those details in the article. It's part of a 20/20 investigation: perhaps the network is withholding some info until the program airs?

[Warren Cancilla]

Daniel, My understanding is that she was made aware of the disappearance of the rape kit ONLY upon inquiry, and it was probably not reported directly to her, anyway. Further, if the rape kit indicates that she was raped, it must have made it at least part way through the process before 'Disappearing'. In regards to the Army nurse's observations; I'm sure it was more than just a cursory glance in Jones' direction. Nurses are trained to look for physical and emotional signs of rape including, but not limited to abrasions, indications of sex, indications of forced sex, and the mental state of the alleged victim.