A pretrial hearing started Monday in connection with Abu Ghraib prison scandal in Baghdad, a US military official said.  

The hearing is being held in the heavily fortified Green Zone headquarters of the US occupation authority.

The three defendants who return to court Monday for pretrial hearing are Spc. Charles A. Graner Jr., 35, of Uniontown, Pennsylvania; Staff Sgt. Ivan L. "Chip" Frederick II, 37, of Buckingham, Virginia; and Sgt. Javal S. Davis, 26, of Maryland.

A hearing for a fourth soldier, Army Pfc. Lynndie England, 21, will be held separately on June 22 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where she is now stationed.

On May 19, Spc. Jeremy C. Sivits became the first soldier convicted and sentenced in the scandal. Sivits pleaded guilty and received the maximum penalty of one year in prison, forfeiture of pay, reduction in rank to private and a bad conduct discharge.

(Xinhua News Agency June 21, 2004)