Watada to speak today
December 6, 2006
Today at 3:30 p.m., Army 1st. Lt. Ehren K. Watada, from Fort Lewis, Wash., will speak in Kane Hall. On June 22, Watada refused deployment to Iraq, claiming that the war and occupation are unlawful.
[HTML_REMOVED] [HTML_REMOVED] [HTML_REMOVED] [HTML_REMOVED] [HTML_REMOVED]Watada became the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse deployment to the unlawful Iraq War and occupation.
[HTML_REMOVED] [HTML_REMOVED]Charged with contempt toward President Bush, conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman, and missing movement.
[HTML_REMOVED] [HTML_REMOVED]General court-martial recommended on all charges.
[HTML_REMOVED] [HTML_REMOVED]Court-martial trial begins.
[HTML_REMOVED]"My moral and legal obligation is to the Constitution and not to those who would issue unlawful orders," Watada said in a press release.
Supporters are urging Congress to "stop illegal war; help Lt. Watada put the war on trial," according to the press release.
Others are not so easily swayed.
"Watada is a man who signed up knowing that we were in a wartime situation," said Dan Murdock, president of the UW College Republicans. "And now he is trying to spin off his refusal by making the war look illegal."
Watada is the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse deployment. On July 5, he was formally charged with two counts of contempt towards officials (Art. 88), three counts of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentlemen (Art. 133), and one count of missing movement (Art. 87).
If convicted on all six counts by general court-martial, he will face over eight years in military prison. Supporters claim that six of those eight years are a response to Watada's exercise of free speech, a First Amendment right.
"We expected the missing movement charge, but we are somewhat astounded by the contempt and conduct unbecoming charges," said Eric Seitz, Watada's lawyer. "These additional charges open up the substance of Lieutenant Watada's statements for review and raise important First Amendment issues. We are delighted that the Army has given us the opportunity to litigate these questions."
Watada's court-martial trial will begin on Feb. 5.
The UW event will be followed by a panel discussion with Aaron Caplan from the American Civil Liberties Union, Stewart M. Jay from the UW School of Law and Nikhil Pal Singh from the UW Department of History. The event is sponsored by the Department of American Ethnic Studies, the law, societies, and justice program, the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies and the American Constitution Society.
For more information, please visit [HTML_REMOVED]www.thankyoult.org[HTML_REMOVED].
Reporter Tina Abrams: tinaabrams@thedaily.washington.edu
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