.
A congressional committee is looking into allegations of a woman raped in Iraq while she was working for a Houston-based company.
Former Conroe resident Jamie Leigh Jones went before the House committee on crime, terrorism and homeland security to tell her story of alleged gang rape and injustice while working as a contract worker in Iraq.
“I took two sips from the drink and don’t remember anything after that. The next morning, I was extremely sore between my legs and in my chest. I was groggy and confused,” Jones said.
She told the House panel that in 2005, she was drugged and sexually assaulted by Halliburton and KBR co-workers while at Camp Hope in Baghdad. Jones filed a federal lawsuit against her attackers, the company and the U.S. government.
More than two years after the attack, she said no one has been prosecuted in her case. “I was later interviewed by two Halliburton supervisors and it was made clear to me that I had essentially two choices — one, ‘Stay and get over it,’ or two, ‘Go home with no guarantee of a job either in Iraq or Houston,'” Jones said.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 {PRNewswire-USNewswire) — The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR) commends the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr., (D-MI) and the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) for their leadership in calling an investigative hearing into the mishandling of sexual assault crimes on U.S. citizens working for government contractors overseas.
The committee heard testimony from Ms. Jamie Leigh Jones, a former employee of Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR), a former subsidiary of the Halliburton Corporation. Ms. Jones provided details of her attack and said she was imprisoned by her employer after she reported the crime. Congressman Ted Poe (R-TX) testified on how he was able to convince the State Department to go into Baghdad and rescue Ms. Jones after hearing about her attack from her father. Congressman Poe testified that despite numerous inquiries from his office, the Justice Department has not provided any answers to what is happening with Ms. Jones case. Although the Justice Department was invited to testify at the hearing, they declined to attend.
U.S. Rep. Ted Poe, R-Houston, and Jamie Leigh Jones said they have been unable to find out whether her assault was investigated or anyone held accountable. Jones said photos, doctors’ notes and physical evidence were taken when she went to the Army hospital the day after the rape.
The doctors gave the evidence to KBR security, she said. A State Department official told Jones in May the photos and notes are missing from the rape kit.
Several members of Congress have criticized the Justice, State and Defense departments for the way the case was handled.
The Justice Department was a no-show at the hearing, which drew heavy criticism from Rep. John Conyers Jr., chairman of the full House Judiciary Committee. “It is unacceptable for our own Department of Justice to refuse to testify today,” Conyers said.
Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr said the department gave Congress a “detailed explanation of its authority to investigate and prosecute criminal misconduct involving U.S. persons who are contract employees in Iraq.”
He said Justice officials decided not to testify so it would not compromise the ongoing investigation.
Jones and others are suing the company, but must contend with an agreement they signed at hiring requiring them to settle disputes through private arbitration.
“What is to stop these companies from victimizing women in the future?” Jones said. “The U.S. government has to provide people with their day in court when they have been raped and assaulted by other American citizens, otherwise we are not only deprived of our justice in the criminal courts but in the civil courts as well. The laws have left us no where to turn.”
Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., has sponsored a bill that would make such agreements invalid in certain cases.
A National Employment Lawyers Association analysis found that an arbitrator ruled in favor of Halliburton 82 percent of the time between Jan. 1, 2003, and March 31, 2007.
Thanks for bearing witness, Oui. You are an angel. We all create our ‘wonderful life’ by not looking at such things. I’m inspired to read that Ms. Jones finally got help from her congressman.
Stories like this make me wonder when we will put up the “Welcome To Cheneyville” signs.
My guess is that Ms. Jones is not the only one.
I’m guessing that too.
.
Jones’ attack surfaced last week, since then 11News has learned three other women sued KBR for similar assaults. Plus, in a sworn affidavit, Houstonian Linda Lindsey told us she witnessed rampant sexual harassment by contractors when she worked in Iraq. The women who reported problems to KBR often suffered retaliation.
It all led to Congress calling an emergency hearing.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have a situation where many military contractors are acting with impunity and disregard for the law,” said committee member Rep. Robert C. Scott, D- Virginia.
Congress invited the Justice Department to explain why the perpetrators, in the Jones case have not been prosecuted.
“It is interesting to note that the Department of Justice has thousands of lawyers. But not one from the barrage of lawyers is here to tell us what if anything they are doing,” said Houston Republican congressman Ted Poe. Their absence and silence speaks volumes about the hidden crimes in Iraq.”
Crimes, that Jones is determined to publicize as federal prosecutors admit they finally opened an investigation into her case.
Poe said three women, including Tracy Barker, who submitted written testimony of her account to the committee and was at the hearing — contacted him.
Ten others reported their stories through a foundation Jones began to help women with similar experiences.
Video – Jamie Leigh Jones’ testimony
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."Can you imagine what they are doing to Iraqi women who have even less protection?
And we must all remember that rape is not a hate crime.
“We cannot talk because of ongoing investigations” has now worked its foul way into what WAS the Justice Department before Bush got ahold of it. Doesn’t look like Mukasey is one whit better than the shitehead before him.
Thank you Jamie Leigh Jones for speaking out! Thank you Oui for spreading the word!
Coming from an organization that has no qualms about pillaging an entire country, not to mention the US Treasury, this kind of behavior is no surprise.
I have said it before, and will as long as I live….this adminitration will go down in history as the most corrupt ever.
they have brought more shame upon the American people than any foreign power has ever been able to produce.
they have dismantled what so many have sacrificed to build, in such a short period of time, it’s absolutely shameless.
the list is too long to place here, but I’m sure we all know what’s on the list of crimes.
thanks for the diary Oui, we can always count on you to bring light into otherwise darkened corners.
peace