Nagem Hatab
Encyclopedia
Nagem Hatab was an Iraqi who died while in US custody. Hatab is said to have been a Ba'ath party member.
issue M16 rifle. The serial number of this rifle showed it was one issued to a member of the unit that included captured Army Private
Jessica Lynch
. United States Marines who were guarding the prisoners at Camp Whitehorse believed that his possession of the rifle implicated Hatab in Lynch's capture.
Major
Clarke Paulus
ordered Corporal
Christian Hernandez
to haul Hatab over to where he could be hosed off. He was then to strip Hatab naked, burn his clothes, and tie him to a stake, and leave him outside, so he wouldn't foul the clothes of other prisoners. Hatab was left naked out in the desert, limp and incapacitated in the blazing sun. At midnight it was noticed Hatab was dead.
, a very small bone, near the larynx
. Hernandez had been ordered to haul Hatab by his neck, when he dragged him to where he could be hosed off. General
James Mattis
dropped all charges against Hernandez.
Initially eight Marines were under investigation for their roles in Hatab's death. But Pittman and Paulus were the only two to be court martialed. The post-mortem had found a large bruise that was probably caused by Pittman's kick. Pittman was cleared of assault, but was convicted of dereliction of duty and abuse of prisoners. He was reduced of rank
to private and was sentenced to 60 days of hard labor.
Samples of Hatab's bodily fluids were packed in ice to be sent to Germany for analysis, as part of the autopsy. However, the container was left on the tarmac at Tallil Air Base in Iraq and exploded in the hot sun.
Arrest
Hatab was arrested in a bazaar where he was trying to sell a US ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
issue M16 rifle. The serial number of this rifle showed it was one issued to a member of the unit that included captured Army Private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
Jessica Lynch
Jessica Lynch
Jessica Dawn Lynch is a former Private First Class in the United States Army Quartermaster Corps. Lynch served in Iraq during the 2003 invasion by U.S. and allied forces. On March 23, 2003 she was injured and captured by Iraqi forces but was recovered on April 1 by U.S...
. United States Marines who were guarding the prisoners at Camp Whitehorse believed that his possession of the rifle implicated Hatab in Lynch's capture.
Death in custody
Hatab was in custody for only a few days. Hatab was interrogated by a military intelligence officer before he died. He was also looked at by a medic who stated that Hatab appeared to have suffered a mild heart attack. The medic also suggested Hatab might be faking it. In the days before he died Hatab was observed being unsteady on his feet. He was observed spontaneously falling over and landing on a bale of razor wire. He appeared dazed. He had completely lost control of his bowels, and his clothes were covered in excrement.Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Clarke Paulus
Clarke Paulus
Major Clarke Paulus was a United States Marine Corp officer who was briefly in charge of Camp Whitehorse.-Camp Whitehorse:Paulus was an active duty officer, who had volunteered for service in Iraq just one month after his marriage. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune Paulus was about 35 years...
ordered Corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
Christian Hernandez
Christian Hernandez
Corporal Christian Hernandez is a United States Marine from 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines who was part of the 2003 Invasion of Iraq and while at Camp Whitehorse, in Iraq, who played a role in the death of Nagem Hatab....
to haul Hatab over to where he could be hosed off. He was then to strip Hatab naked, burn his clothes, and tie him to a stake, and leave him outside, so he wouldn't foul the clothes of other prisoners. Hatab was left naked out in the desert, limp and incapacitated in the blazing sun. At midnight it was noticed Hatab was dead.
Investigations
A post-mortem was conducted on Hatab. It determined that he died from a broken hyoid boneHyoid bone
The hyoid bone is a horseshoe-shaped bone situated in the anterior midline of the neck between the chin and the thyroid cartilage. At rest, it lies at the level of the base of the mandible in the front and the third cervical vertebra behind.Unlike other bones, the hyoid is only distantly...
, a very small bone, near the larynx
Larynx
The larynx , commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the neck of amphibians, reptiles and mammals involved in breathing, sound production, and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. It manipulates pitch and volume...
. Hernandez had been ordered to haul Hatab by his neck, when he dragged him to where he could be hosed off. General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
James Mattis
James Mattis
James N. Mattis is a United States Marine Corps general and the current commander of United States Central Command. Having replaced David Petraeus on August 11, 2010, he previously commanded United States Joint Forces Command from November 9, 2007 to August 2010 and served concurrently as NATO's...
dropped all charges against Hernandez.
Initially eight Marines were under investigation for their roles in Hatab's death. But Pittman and Paulus were the only two to be court martialed. The post-mortem had found a large bruise that was probably caused by Pittman's kick. Pittman was cleared of assault, but was convicted of dereliction of duty and abuse of prisoners. He was reduced of rank
Reduction in rank
Reduction in rank may refer to two separate concepts:*In military law, a reduction in rank is a demotion in military rank as punishment for a crime or wrongdoing, imposed by a court-martial or other authority...
to private and was sentenced to 60 days of hard labor.
Samples of Hatab's bodily fluids were packed in ice to be sent to Germany for analysis, as part of the autopsy. However, the container was left on the tarmac at Tallil Air Base in Iraq and exploded in the hot sun.
External links
- Iraqi detainee's death hangs over Marine unit, SignonsandiegoThe San Diego Union-Tribune-Predecessors:The predecessor newspapers of the Union-Tribune were:* San Diego Sun, founded 1861 and merged with the Evening Tribune in 1939.* San Diego Union, founded October 10, 1868.* Evening Tribune, founded December 2, 1895.-Ownership:...
, May 30, 2004