Most of you have probably heard about Jamie Leigh Jones, the Texas Halliburton employee who was drugged, gang raped and sodomized by her fellow employees while in the Green Zone. If not…
Apparently she was locked in a shipping container, told she’d be out of a job if she reported the incident, and her rape kit (conducted by army doctors) ‘disappeared’ after being handed over to KBR security. Apparently the loopholes afforded to contractors extend to rape, so Jones is launching a civil suit (rather than pursuing criminal charges).
That just sounds awful. If any aspect of that can be proven (which may be difficult since the rape kit was lost and many other aspects of the situation were controlled by the folks she is accusing - Halliburton / KBR) then they should be punished to the full extent of criminal and / or civil law…
From the link: “Legal experts say Jones’ alleged assailants will likely never face a judge and jury, due to an enormous loophole that has effectively left contractors in Iraq beyond the reach of United States law.”
Part of me says wants to believe this is a hoax, simply because it is so awful. But if it is not (and it sounds like it isn’t a hoax because of KBR wanting the case to go directly to arbitration), I suggest handing the case over to Iraqi authorities. Having brought Freedom™ there, I’m sure that they are capable of figuring out an appropriate punishment for those responsible. And I bet their justice system won’t be derailed by technical or administrative minutiae like, “Whoops, we lost the rape kit.”
That’s just sensational journalism used to fuel a fire that could burn quite hot without it.
Shipping containers are luxary housing on Iraq bases. When my unit found out we were moving, the first question on everyone’s mind was whether we would have to live in tents or if we would be fortunate enough to live in shipping containers.
So the shipping container is not a make-shift dungeon. It was undoubtably a real dorm room. One with windows, a door, an AC. They may have thought to segregate her for her safety.
The part about her not being allowed to leave and such… well that’s obviously fucked up if it’s true. But it’s the equivalent of being locked in your room, not locked in a dungeon.
I am not defending KBR by any means. I just dont think people need to spin things to make their point stronger. I’m a fan of impartial journalism, and not of adding hype to sell news and spread conspiracy theories.
Hmm, there are a lot of guns around out there, sure would be a shame for her to have a number of unfortunate experiences of weapons ‘just going off’ with tragic consequencies for the rapists.
The “lost” rape kit and the fact that KBR is insisting that private arbitration is in her contract doesn’t speak to full disclosure or a public airing of false claims. And there is no accountability of private contractors to review criminal records of their employees nor to disclose them to military or local justice systems as there is with U.S. Armed Forces personnel. Contractors are not subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and unless taken in custody by local authorities, are often immune from extradition to foreign nations and from criminal prosecution in U.S. jurisdictions for crimes committed on foreign soil.
Yes, more sensational than just stealing large amounts of money: a “gang” rape followed by kidnapping and/or false imprisonment, threats, theft, an apparently complicit Corporation already hated by much of the American public and a very pretty woman.
I’m not saying the story is entirely made up. I don’t know. I am willing to bet that there are major revisions to be made, though. For example, perhaps she was “locked up” for her own protection - this is a country where you can be stoned to death for flashing a little ankle. I just think there’s more to the story. I can’t help but be reminded of the Duke LaCrosse team rape accusations and how easy it was to join the lynch mob.
Haliburton’s already fucking over an entire country (or getting the US military to do it for them), so fucking over* their own employees? No surprises there.
*Referring to “losing” evidence, strongarming the victim, etc. Not the rape. That’s its own brand of evil.
Nice attempt at equivocation, but no dice. In contrast to the Crystal Mangum case, there is no racial aspect, no rush to prosecution for political gain (the incident happened two years previous) and indeed no avenue for criminal proceedings, physical evidence was accepted by the responsible contractor and then lost, and in contrast to the Duke case in which defendants cooperated with investigators, the defendants and their employer in this situation have lawyered up and blocked attempts to investigate and have insisted on enforcement of an arbitration agreement (see document #20) rather than full disclosure and presentation of accused perpetrators to applicable law. You lack any basis for making any authoritative dismissals of the claims, and your attempt to conflate it with another unrelated meritless case is disingenuous.
I don’t know whether the accusations made are truthful either. But it is apparent that no genuine criminal investigation will be made, that the accused perpetrators will not stand for indictment, and that the responsible corporate persons are doing everything in their power to avoid responsibility or disclosure of any criminal acts that may have been committed by their employees in Iraq. It’s pretty clear that she’s not attempting to extort money from KBR or Halliburton; the US$100k claim is scarcely enough to cover filing fees and expenses of the case.
If you have some basis for your assessment as “bullshit”, other than a reflexive disbelief that anything could be all but peachy with private military contractors in Iraq please demonstrate.
My bullshit meter went off when I read the initial article and it was just over this woman (being now 22) and working in Iraq for Halliburton.
I have lingering and vague thoughts ( IE: Fecal Scattershot Warning)
Doesn’t ( 20-21) that seem a bit young? What is her capacity there?
Being kept in the storage container (which was probably her room or someone’s room " I was upset; I was curled up in a ball on the bed to begin with) and armed guards ( maybe they were there for her protection.)
What is with the picture of her? I thought rape victims were suppose to have some kind of protection from publicity. Is she this year’s (Missing)White Woman Poster Child ala Lacey Peterson and Natalee Holloway? Except she isn’t missing or dead. If she were black or yellow or brown or purple, would this story even make the front page?
I’d be interested in seeing a cite for that as well. Iraq was a lot of things under Saddam, a lot of bad things, sure–but one thing it wasn’t was a fundamentalist Muslim country where women got stoned to death for flashing a little bit of ankle. Since we’ve taken over (for better or worse) while things have definitely changed, Iraq still isn’t a place (to my knowledge) where you’re remotely likely to be stoned to death for showing “a little bit of ankle.”
I know Saudi Arabia and Iraq are neighboring Arab countries, but they aren’t the same country (and for that matter, to my knowledge even S.A. doesn’t stone women to death for showing a little bit of ankle, but maybe I’m wrong.)