Military justice 'broken', say sexual assault survivors at Senate hearing.

(From Guardian Unlimited)

The military justice system is broken, riven with inherent bias, conflicts of interest and a hierarchical structure that ensures perpetrators go unpunished, survivors of military sexual assault told Congress on Wednesday.

At the first Senate hearing into sexual abuse in the armed forces for a decade, victims said the system helped encourage predators in uniform and urged senators to change the law to give survivors the same protections as civilians -- an independent justice system.

Rebekah Havrilla, a former Army sergeant who suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after being raped by another service member while in Afghanistan told the Senate armed services committee that she found a "broken" criminal justice system.

Havrilla, who described an interview during the military investigation into her case as being the "most humiliating thing that I have ever experienced", said it was eventually closed after senior commanders decided not to pursue charges.

"What we need …