On July 3, 2008, a judge for the US District Court for the Central District of California ordered the release of two US Marines who had been jailed for refusing to testify about the deaths of Iraqi detainees during the Fallujah offensive in November 2004. The two Marines, Sgt. Ryan G Weemer and Sgt. Jose Nazario, were held in contempt of court in June 2008 for refusing to testify about the detainee deaths. In July 2007, the Naval Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS) announced investigations into at least 10 Marines after Sgt. Weemer admitted during a polygraph interview with the US Secret Service that he'd witnessed indiscriminate killing during his time in Fallujah.

Learn more about the US Marines from the JURIST news archive, and read an overview of the Iraq War in Features.