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Afghanistan
Army to seek death penalty on Afghan massacre case.
2012-12-20
Still no word on MAJ Nidal Hasan's beard.
That the Army is being some chicken-shit about that is no reason to do the wrong thing in other matters of military justice...
The U.S. Army said Wednesday it will seek the death penalty against the soldier accused of massacring 16 Afghan villagers during pre-dawn raids in March. The announcement followed a pretrial hearing last month for Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, 39, who faces premeditated murder and other charges in the attack on two villages in southern Afghanistan.

Prosecutors said Bales left his remote base in southern Afghanistan early on March 11, attacked one village, returned to the base, and then slipped away again to attack another nearby compound. Of the 16 people killed, nine were children.

No date has been set for Bales' court martial, which will be held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Seattle.

His civilian lawyer, John Henry Browne, did not immediately return an email seeking comment Wednesday. But on Tuesday, he told The Associated Press that he met with Army officials last week to argue that Bales should not face the possibility of the death penalty, given that Bales was serving his fourth deployment in a war zone.

Bales' defense team has said the government's case is incomplete and outside experts have said a key issue going forward will be to determine whether Bales, who served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

An Army criminal investigations command special agent testified at the pretrial hearing that Bales tested positive for steroids three days after the killings, and other soldiers testified that Bales had been drinking the evening of the massacre.

Prosecutors, in asking for a court-martial trial, have pointed to statements Bales made after he was apprehended, saying that they demonstrated "a clear memory of what he had done, and consciousness of wrong-doing."

Several soldiers testified at the hearing that Bales returned to the base alone just before dawn, covered in blood, and that he made incriminating statements such as, "I thought I was doing the right thing."
Posted by:Besoeker

#7   ....case and that the command -- not a judge -- is responsible for enforcing military grooming standards

And that sir, is a crock of BULLSHIT ! The military judge shall designate the proper uniform, grooming standards, and civilian attire to be worn by all persons required to be present at trial. As far as I know, this applies to all services.
Posted by: Besoeker   2012-12-20 12:14  

#6  I'm thinking laser hair removal. I'm thinking one of those shipboard lasers being tested now...
Posted by: M. Murcek   2012-12-20 12:10  

#5  re: The Beard
The new judge overseeing HasanÂ’s case told him during a hearing Tuesday that the beard, now thicker than when he first appeared in court with it in June, violates Army regulations. The judge, Col. Tara Osborn, said she wonÂ’t hold it against him but that military jurors might.

Osborn was appointed to the case two weeks ago, after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces removed the former judge and tossed his order regarding Hasan’s beard. The ruling said Col. Gregory Gross did not appear impartial while presiding over Hasan’s case and that the command — not a judge — is responsible for enforcing military grooming standards.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2012-12-20 11:46  

#4  Hasan is claiming some sort of religious privilege with regard to his beard. The issue has now gone on for months. He has been ordered to shave it off, but has not. No one has taken any action on it. If my memory serves me correctly, any uniformed person, whether confined to the Disciplinary Barracks (DB) at Fort Leavenworth or not, was required to follow lawful orders. Refusal to follow orders is in itself, justification for action under the UCMJ and forfeiture of pay. The entire Fort Hood shooting affair is maddening, no sickening.
Posted by: Besoeker   2012-12-20 11:35  

#3  His entire chain of command should be held accountable as well then too. Until that happens I stand with besoeker. What about that beard?
Posted by: Lowspark   2012-12-20 11:03  

#2  The few people I am close to who have had diagnosed (but mild) PTSD did not exhibit anything remotely like a tendency to go on a long mission to kill a bunch of kids. Depresssed, unable to sleep/nightmares, jumpy, withdrawn, irritable (!), but not violent. I could see suicidal or maybe an outburst/response of violence, but someone with more experience than I have will need to explain how PTSD evolves into a case like this. Most certainly some kind of mental illness, but what?
Posted by: Glenmore   2012-12-20 08:03  

#1  The MAJ Hasan comment is my own.
Posted by: Besoeker   2012-12-20 03:03  

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