A Navy Seal lieutenant was acquitted Friday on charges that he had struck a detainee in Iraq in 2003 and failed to restrain his men from hitting the prisoner, who later died at Abu Ghraib prison.

The jury of six Navy officers deliberated for three hours before clearing the defendant, Lt. Andrew K. Ledford, of any misconduct in connection with his platoon’s capture of the detainee, Manadel al-Jamadi, in November 2003. Mr. Jamadi died after he was turned over to the C.I.A. for interrogation.

The 32-year-old SEAL had faced up to 11 years in military prison if he had been convicted of assault, dereliction of duty, conduct unbecoming an officer and making false statements.

Earlier Tuesday, former Petty Officer Dan Cerrillo testified under immunity that he was the SEAL beating the prisoner and pushing his face into the sand.

But Cerrillo, who served under Ledford in Foxtrot Platoon, said he was acting on the orders of “those people we’re not supposed to talk about” - one of the euphemisms witnesses and attorneys use to avoid mentioning the CIA. (Other phrases include “the agency,” “another governmental agency” and “security personnel”.)

Mr. Cerrillo testified that he then administered 10 to 15 hard blows to a hooded and bound prisoner.

C.I.A. officials say the Jamadi case is one of several the agency has referred to the Justice Department for possible prosecution.

The US is known for its poor human rights record concerning the treatment of prisoners, both in its domestic prisons and abroad in POW camps.

In December 2001 the US Senate added an amendment to a military appropriations bill that would make US military personnel who commit war crimes, immune from prosecution from the International Criminal Court, claiming it is capable of addressing allegations of war crimes by US soldiers and citizens, using its own criminal court system.

“I think what makes this country great is that there’s a system in place and it works.” Lieutenant Ledford told reporters after the verdict.

And so, the mayhem continues.