Canada continues ouster of war resisters
Supporters
continue campaign for sanctuary while slowing removal proceedings. After being deported, Iraq War resister
Cliff Cornell awaits court martial.
Donate to Cliff's defense here.
Command rape victim finally discharged
In this Courage to Resist audio interview, former MP
Suzanne Swift talks about what happened
in
Iraq, and how she eventually became a
war resister. She was recently honorably discharged.
Training held for
active duty soldiers
Courage to Resist
helped train active duty troops on a practical overview of
military law regarding GI resistance. Last weekend's training
was organized by IVAW at
Coffee Strong near Ft. Lewis.
Resister, Guantánamo guard speaks out
Guantánamo prison guard and Iraq War veteran Brandon Neely
speaks out on abuses. Last year, Courage to Resist helped Brandon successfully
resist Individual Ready Reserve activation.
"AWOL from the military" legal memo (PDF)
Updated comprehensive info
by GI rights lawyer James Branum.
Canada continues ouster of war resisters
Cliff Cornell and Chris Teske |
Supporters and resisters continue campaign for sanctuary while slowing removal proceedings.
By Sarah Lazare, Courage to Resist published by Common Dreams
February 15, 2009
In the past weeks, the Harper Administration has moved swiftly to
push U.S. Iraq War resisters out of Canada, issuing removal orders to
five more resisters who had resettled up north. Two have recently been
forced out of the country, and the rest continue their appeals through
the Canadian Courts. This adds to the growing number of U.S. war
resisters in Canada who are being threatened with deportation and
eventually U.S. military court martials and imprisonment.
"According to the Nuremberg principles, people have the right to a
free conscience," said Ryan Johnson, a former soldier who refused
deployment to Iraq and resettled in Canada in June 2005. "We should be
allowed to stay based on that."
Since the beginning of the Iraq War, dozens of U.S. troops resisting
service in Iraq have applied for refugee status in Canada, on the
grounds that, were they handed back to U.S. military custody, they
would face persecution for refusing to participate in an illegal war.
Several Afghanistan War resisters have also made Canada their home,
with an estimated 200 U.S. war resisters currently residing in that
country.
Cliff Cornell, who resettled in Canada after refusing to deploy to
Iraq in 2005, returned to the United States when the Canadian
government denied him a stay of removal. He was arrested by U.S. border
police last week and taken to a county jail in Bellingham, Washington.
Following a community vigil at the jail, Cornell was released and given
five days to travel to Ft. Stewart, Georgia on his own accord. He is
expected to face court martial, and supporters have set up a defense
fund to cover his legal fees.
Read more...
Command rape victim, GI resister finally discharged
By Courage to Resist. 17:50 min.
February 14, 2009
When military police officer Suzanne Swift was in Iraq, she
was sexually coerced by a superior, then harassed by him after she
ended the unwanted relationship. Back in the States, she went AWOL
rather than return to Iraq when her unit was ordered back. Swift was
recently discharged from the Army and tells the story about what she
had to endure.
Listen here...
Organizing training for active duty troops at G.I. coffeehouse
Courage to Resist's Project Coordinator Sarah Lazare with Coffee Strong workers |
By Courage to Resist
February 20, 2009
This past weekend, Courage to Resist organizers helped conduct
training for Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) members who are currently on active duty. We focused on the practical legal (military law) aspects of GI resistance, including: speaking out from within the military, ramifications of going AWOL, refusing orders, and resisting the Individual Ready Reserve. Other sessions covered
how to build
IVAW chapters on military bases, often the most hostile places to
organize GI resistance to the occupation of Iraq. Ten active duty
members representing five military bases participated in the training held at
the Coffee Strong G.I. coffeehouse and Internet café across the freeway from
Fort Lewis, 45 miles south of Seattle, Washington.
Resister Brandon Neely on being a guard at
Guantánamo
When the Army recalled
Brandon Neely from the Individual Ready
Reserve, Brandon did not answer the call. Today he
is president of the Houston chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War and speaking out.
Brandon declares, "I have seen and done many horrible things, either at Guantánamo or in Iraq, and I know what it is like to try and move on with your life.
It's hard."
Last year, Brandon told us, “I looked at my dad and told him right there I’m not
going back.... I never thought in a million years that the government
and the President would send troops into harms way for nothing.... I
got on the Internet and came across the Courage to Resist website.”
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