CAAFlog and NIMJ Blog Join Forces
The National Institute of Military Justice blog will join CAAFlog in a new blog venture, NIMJ blog CAAFlog.
We look forward to an exciting collaboration between contributors to both blogs. We also hope to inspire more interaction among our readers, who now have access to a single source of current news and commentary on military justice worldwide. We encourage you to visit NIMJ blog CAAFlog often and join us in following military justice worldwide. The NIMJ blog archive, and some of our online resources, are also available on the new site.
Please direct any questions to nimjemail@gmail.com. Thanks for your support, and we’ll see you at NIMJ blog CAAFlog!
Wilcox court-martial reveals routine weapons abuses at KAF
Testimony during the second court-martial of Canadian Cpl. Matthew Wilcox is revealing that the kind of weapons abuses that allegedly resulted in Wilcox shooting and killing Cpl. Kevin Megeney are somewhat routine at Kandahar Air Field. For example, although all weapons inside the base must be unloaded, this rule is “consistently violated by Canadian and other coalition troops . . . on a daily basis.”
Capt. James Young, an infantry instructor, partially blames the “incredibly busy, congested and complex environment” at KAF. Currently, 10,000 soldiers occupy the base which was built for only half that many people.
Details on the testimony of Master Cpl. Andrew Noseworthy can be found here.
Labels: Canada, court-martial, Cpl. Kevin Megeney, Matthew Wilcox, weapons abuses
Court-Martial Proceeds for Marine Involved in 2005 Haditha Raids
The court-martial of Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, accused of leading a team of Marines in a raid that killed 24 Iraqis in 2005, will proceed without further delay. Wuterich wanted his former lawyer who had left for private practice to return to represent him, but the NMCCA decided that he had “sufficent representation” and “it is time to place this matter before a trial court for a verdict.”
Six other Marines charged in this matter had their charges dismissed, and one was found not guilty.
Koaner Defends Statements as “Self Criticism” Rather Than “Confessions”
In two recordings published on dailymotion.com, Former Chief of General Staff Işık Koşaner is heard making several contraversial statements, including recounting that the military had violated the law in its fight against the PKK and confirming the authenticity of certain documents that describe the Sledgehammer Coup Plot. This week, it was reported that Koşaner admitted the voice belonged to him.
Many of the published conversations are from discussions he had with other high-level state officials and speeches he made during his visits to various units. Some are calling for an inquiry into some of the statements, but Koşaner insists that he made most those statements only in an effort to help the military “learn from its mistakes.”
More details can be found here.
Behenna Publicly Criticizes the Military Justice System
Last week, in a letter that Behenna wrote to his supporters, he criticized the “unchecked and ‘under the table’ injustice that runs rampant in our military justice system.”
Behenna’s full letter can be read here on a website created by his parents and dedicated to his defense.
Action at the CMCR
h/t Opinio Juris, Kevin Heller comments on, “CMCR invents the war crime of conspiracy,” he begins:
Even I thought the Court of Military Commission Review couldn’t reach such an absurd conclusion. . . . The CMCR’s reasoning is, not surprisingly, a complete joke.