Conscientious Objector's Trial Delayed As Amnesty International Expresses Concern

Army First Lieutenant Ehren Watada's court martial on charges that he refused to deploy with his unit to Iraq in June 2006 was scheduled to begin yesterday. However, a federal judge in Washington state ordered the Army to delay the trial. Honolulu's KNHL reports that Watada's lawyer says the court martial would amount to double jeopardy because an earlier court martial ended in a mistrial. Watada is a conscientious objector-- not to all wars, but to the war in Iraq. Because he does not object to all wars, U.S. law would not grant him CO status. Last week Amensty International expressed serious concern over Watada's fate. It said: "The right to refuse to perform military service for reasons of conscience, thought or religion is protected under international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which the US has ratified."