Two soldiers ordered arraigned

The U.S. Army said Thursday that two soldiers will be arraigned May 20 on criminal charges stemming from the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse case.

The military set the arraignment date for Staff Sgt. Ivan Frederick II and Sgt. Javal S. Davis. Charges against the two soldiers were announced Wednesday.

At the arraigment, they will have to enter pleas of guilty or not guilty to the charges. The military said the date and venue for their trials have not been set.

Spc. Jeremy C. Sivits, of Hyndman, Pa., goes on trial May 19 before a special court-martial, which cannot levy as severe a sentence as a general court-martial which Frederick and Davis face.

Davis has been charged with conspiracy to maltreat detainees, dereliction of duty for failing to protect detainees from abuse, maltreatment of detainees, rendering false official statements and assault.

Frederick has been charged with conspiracy to maltreat detainees, dereliction of duty for negligibly failing to protect detainees from abuse, maltreatment of detainees, and wrongfully committing an indecent act by watching detainees commit a sexual act.

The arraignment dates were announced on the day that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, under fire for his handing of the scandal, paid an unannounced visit to Iraq, including the Abu Ghraib prison.

Rumsfeld said the scandal was a îîbody blow for all of us'' and those who committed illegal acts would be punished.

"The people who engaged in abuses will be brought to justice," the defense secretary said. "The world will see how a free and democratic society functions."