[JURIST] A federal judge in Raleigh, North Carolina Tuesday sentenced David Passaro [Raleigh News and Observer materials; Wikipedia profile] to eight years and four months in prison as well as three years of supervised release on charges [JURIST report] related to his abuse of a detainee in Afghanistan [JURIST report]. Passaro was convicted [JURIST report] last year on three misdemeanor counts of simple assault and one felony count of assault resulting in the bodily injury of Afghan prisoner Abdul Wali [Wikipedia profile], who later died in US custody. Passaro was not actually charged with Wali's death and US District Judge Terrence Boyle [official profile] said the absence of an autopsy on Wali contributed to Passaro avoiding a murder charge.

Passaro is the first and only US civilian to be tried in connection with detainee abuse in Iraq or Afghanistan. AP has more.