Conscientious objector from Iraq war to face US court-martial
AFP, Washington
The first Iraq war veteran to publicly object to the morality of the war will face a special court-martial on a charge of desertion, officials said Saturday. But the Army said Florida National Guard Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia will be spared a possible death sentence, the most severe penalty for desertion in wartime. The special court-martial, to be held on a military base in Fort Stewart, Georgia, means Mejia, 28, could receive no more than one year in a military prison and a bad conduct discharge if convicted, Fort Stewart spokesman Rich Olson said Friday. A bad conduct discharge rules out veteran's benefits, but can be appealed and replaced with a general discharge ensuring full benefits, said Olson, adding no date for the court-martial had been set. Olson said he did not have an explanation for why Fort Stewart commanding officer Major-General William Webster decided Friday on a special court-martial for Mejia, whose surrender in the Boston area earlier this month attracted widespread attention.
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