The wanton murder of Zaydun al-Samarrai, a 19-year-old Iraqi, by a group of U.S. soldiers who forced him to jump into the Tigris river was first revealed by Zeyad, a pro-American Iraqi blogger, who happens to be his cousin. Here is Zeyad’s reaction to the slap on the wrist administered to one of the murderers:
“The verdict against one of the soldiers involved in the drowning of Zaydun was a major disappointment. The defense continues to claim that no body was found, hence no murder. No one brought up the point that US authorities in Samarra kept postponing the exhumation of Zaydun’s corpse using the excuse of the security condition in the city.
“The National Guard unit which helped Marwan out of the water was not brought in to testify and the court seems to have brushed aside the fact that they are important witnesses to the case. The lying and conflicting statements by the soldiers and their commanders was also not discussed.
“Maybe we were simply naive to be led to believe that pursuing the case in a US court would help bring justice. But this is hardly the end of it.”
Zeyad is right on both counts: he was naive, and this isn’t the end of it. The lying commander, Lt. Col. Nate Sassaman, who coached his soldiers to cover up their crime, may have gotten away with murder — so far — but Lieutenant Jack Saville, the platoon leader, goes on trial March 15.