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| Were soldiers’ rights violated |
| By thenewstribune.com |
| Published: 10/14/2009 |
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A lawyer for two soldiers serving time in Fort Lewis’ on-post jail is alleging the military violated his clients’ civil rights by monitoring phone calls and possibly filming them during a strip search. James Branum, representing enlisted soldiers Travis Bishop and Leo Church, also said female guards watched his clients during strip-searches, while using the restroom and while taking a shower. He plans to file a letter seeking answers this week, and likely a formal complaint later this month. He also said a federal lawsuit is possible. Fort Lewis spokesman Joseph Piek denied wrongdoing by prison guards, who are active-duty military policemen. He acknowledged that strip-searches could have been caught on camera but said that situation has been corrected. “Everything we’ve done has been within Army regulations,” Piek said. “You have to remember: These guys are prisoners. There is no such thing as a completely private, unmonitored phone call.” Piek didn’t have a number of similar complaints that attorneys or prisoners have filed, but he called it relatively rare. Bishop and Church, both of whom served at Fort Hood, Texas, and were convicted of going absent without leave, arrived last month at the Northwestern Joint Regional Correctional Facility, a 190-bed, medium-custody facility at Fort Lewis. It currently holds 60 prisoners. Read More. |
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