Judge: Soldier can show he reported Afghan plot

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Judge: Soldier can show he reported Afghan plot
Prosecutors had sought to bar evidence that he sent Facebook messages home about the alleged murder conspiracy

By GENE JOHNSON
The Associated Press
updated 2 hours 28 minutes ago 2011-03-20T20:13:18

SEATTLE — A military judge has ruled that a U.S. soldier charged in a conspiracy to murder Afghan civilians for sport can present evidence at his court martial that he tried to blow the whistle on the plot.

Army prosecutors at Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Seattle sought to bar evidence that Spc. Adam Winfield of Cape Coral, Fla., sent Facebook messages home early last year saying that members of his unit had murdered one civilian, planned to kill more and were urging him to "get one" of his own. He said they threatened him to keep quiet about the plot.

Winfield's father reported his son's allegations to the base, but no action was taken, and two more civilians were killed. The alleged murder plot was not discovered by Army investigators until months later.

Winfield is one of five soldiers charged in the murder plot; he gave a videotaped statement saying he took part in the final killing because he was afraid other soldiers might kill him if he didn't. Army prosecutors argued to the judge, Lt. Col. Kwasi Hawks, that Winfield's messages home in February had nothing to do with his state of mind at the time of the third killing in May. The prosecutors argued that statements Winfield made to his parents saying he was afraid of his colleagues and that he resigned his team-leader position in protest of the alleged murder plot were likewise irrelevant.



Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42182591/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/

[2banon]

1. Killing Afghan Civillians for SPORT??????? !!!!!!!

Seems like I read this happening in Iraq sometime during the first year of invasion...

This will go down as what happens in the Fog of War syndrome.

[on point]

3. I think it has more to do with an imperious fascist attitude toward others

[2banon]

6. sadly, I agree.. n/t

[sendero]

2. Nice to know that military prosecutors..

.. are more interested in a conviction than justice, just like civilian prosecutors.

[EFerrari]

5. This is in line with how this administration treats whistleblowers.

Or perhaps, how whistleblowers are now treated in the United States.

[14thColony]

4. It appears the goat they chose has declined to be scaped. nt

[Solly Mack]

7. k/r

[No Elephants]

8. Some troops should not have our support.

[Salander]

9. Nor should presidents who support this kind of idiotic war. . .

[freshwest]

10. How many private contractors have done the same thing,

But are allowed to hide the facts under propriety information?

At least the traditional military has a system to allow this.

The other ones just fire the whistleblowers.

Good actions on the part of this young man's father in this.

[FedUpWithIt All]

11. I am glad to hear they are going to look at that evidence. I saw an article about this man

a while back and his father's story was pretty compelling.

[Dogtown]

12. K&R n/t

[Bragi]

13. Exposing murder plot more espionage?

So will this guy be 'Manning-ed' at Quantico?

I ask because torture seems to be the new standard for any official response to any disclosures of evidence relating to war crimes.