Thank You Lt. Watada - Home Page

Mobilizing Communities

Home

Home Page

Judge Rules for Lt. Wadada:

3 Charges Unconstitutional

But Legal Limbo Continues

        No New Court Martial!
        Dismiss All Charges!
        Release Lt. Watada with an Honorable Discharge!

Organize or participate in local efforts to inform the public of Lt. Watada's legal limbo. Ck here for time, locations and contact info and call on others to join you in actively supporting Lt. Watada. >>>

2007_11_3__rcpj_peace_vigil_edited

Nov 3rd, Rockland County, NY Photo by Len Tsou

First Commissioned Officer to Refuse Deployment

On June 22, 2006, U.S. Army 1st Lieutenant Ehren K. Watada stepped forward as the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse deployment to the Iraq War and occupation. He faces court martial and up to 6 years imprisonment for refusing to deploy and for speaking out against a war that he believes is illegal.

Produced by David Rothmiller & Trick Dog Films, Inc.

In support of his courageous action, the Lt. Ehren Watada Campaign is working to educate and broaden the dialog on constitutional rights. The campaign is also involved with mobilizing grassroots action to insure that our government upholds Lt. Watada's right to speak out and refuse to participate in illegal military action in Iraq.

Help us educate and mobilize others by signing the petition and making a donation to the Lt Watada defense fund.

Last Updated ( Sunday, 26 October 2008 )

In The News

Watada won't be retried on 3 of 5 counts

By Hal Bernton

Seattle Times, October 21, 2008

Citing the constitutional protections against being tried twice for the same crime, a federal judge Tuesday ruled that 1st Lt. Ehren Watada cannot face a second court-martial on three of five counts resulting from his high-profile 2006 refusal to deploy to Iraq with a Fort Lewis brigade.

The ruling by Judge Benjamin Settle, however, leaves open the possibility of a second prosecution on two other counts involving conduct unbecoming an officer.

In the ruling, Settle abstained from ruling on the constitutionality of those charges and said it was up to a military court to consider "if constitutional defects" would be present in a second court-martial on those two counts. Convictions on those two counts could result in two years in prison.

The ruling keeps Watada, who has been assigned a desk job at Fort Lewis since his refusal to deploy to Iraq with his combat brigade, in a kind of legal limbo.

Judge rules for officer who refused Iraq duty

Federal court cites double jeopardy in Watada case

By This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, October 21, 2008

If the Army tries to court-martial 1st Lt. Ehren Watada a second time, it cannot prosecute him for refusing to deploy to Iraq, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

Seeking a conviction on that charge -- the most serious that Watada faced -- would constitute double jeopardy, U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma decided.

Settle agreed with Watada's request by throwing out the charge of missing movement for refusing to deploy with his Fort Lewis-based Stryker Brigade to Iraq in June 2006. Watada said the war was illegal.

Settle also dismissed two specifications of a second charge, of conduct unbecoming an officer, related to statements Watada made against the war and against President Bush. He made the statements at a news conference and in a speech at a Veterans for Peace convention.

"DISSENT: VOICES OF CONSCIENCE"

http://www.voicesofconscience.com/

When the actions of government become dangerous to the security of the nation, it takes a special courage for men and women inside the government to speak out. If we care about keeping democracy alive, we must welcome this book. "

—Howard Zinn, author of A People’s History of the U.S.

During the run-up to war in Iraq, Army Colonel (Ret.) and diplomat Ann Wright resigned her State Department post. She was one among dozens of government insiders and active-duty military personnel who leaked documents, spoke out, resigned, or refused to deploy in protest of government actions they felt were illegal. In Dissent: Voices of Conscience, Ann Wright and Susan Dixon tell the stories of these men and women, who risked careers, reputations, and even freedom out of loyalty to the Constitution and the rule of law.

Watada Supporters Around The Country

WINTER SOLDIER HEARINGS

VETERANS SPEAK OUT AGAINST WAR

March 13-16, 2008

On March 13-16, US veterans of the wars and occupations in Afghanistan and Iraq will gather in Washington DC to testify about their experiences, and present video and photographic evidence, as will military families and civilian survivors, in "Winter Soldier" hearings organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW).

These hearings are modeled on the 1971 event of the same name organized by anti-war veterans in Detroit which galvanized the movement against the Vietnam war. These important hearings will be broadcast live via satellite, radio and internet all over the world; please see below for details and schedule. The Global Women Strike and Payday will organize a public view in London and possibly in other cities. Details to follow.

· Tune in, organize house parties, showings at community centers, places of worship, trade-union locals/branches, etc. If you organize an event, post it on IVAW's website here and let us know at Payday, and we will publish it on our website.

· Write a statement of support for the hearings on IVAW’s website (tick “other” if you’re not in the US and insert your post code for "zip code" – it will be accepted). Send a copy to Payday and we will also post it on our website. We are all strengthened when US soldiers say no. If you are a conscientious objector/refusenik from another country tell them your experience. Let Winter Soldier know that the world supports them!

· For more information on what else you can do to publicize and support this important event, see IVAW's website: www.ivaw.org.

"To stop this war, for the soldiers to stop fighting it, they must have the unconditional support of the people... Convince them that no matter how long they sit in prison, no matter how long this country takes to right itself, their families will have a roof over their heads, food in their stomachs, opportunities and education. How do you support the troops but not the war? By supporting those who can truly stop it; let them know that resistance to participate in an illegal war is not futile and not without a future." -- Lt. Ehren Watada, first commissioned officer to refuse to go to Iraq, faced 7 years in prison, his court-martial ended in a mistrial but he still remains in legal limbo.

JACL Calls for Equal Treatment for Lt. Ehren Watada

The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) believes that all American citizens have the right to a fair and impartial trial, which includes the right to have a trial presided over by an impartial judge and to be protected from double jeopardy.

As the oldest Asian Pacific American civil rights organization in the United States, the JACL has lodged numerous principled defenses of constitutional rights. History has taught us a valuable lesson that true affirmation of American ideals and rights requires conscientious reflection and action based on those ideals. The Japanese American experience, with 120,000 people unjustly imprisoned without due process or equal protection under the law during World War II, has taught JACL the importance of defending civil rights and civil liberties.

On June 7, 2006, First Lt. Ehren Watada publicly declared his intent to refuse deployment to Iraq based upon his oath to defend the Constitution. Lt. Watada explained his convictions again on August 12, 2006. Each time, Lt. Watada spoke while out of uniform, off his military base, and on his own time -- in accordance with the limits on free speech under military law that Lt. Watada's superiors emphasized to him. During subsequent court-martial proceedings, the presiding judge repeatedly refused to allow Lt. Watada to present testimony about his convictions. However, before the prosecution rested its case, the prosecution's own expert witness acknowledged that an officer must ultimately follow the demands of his or her conscience. The judge eventually declared a mistrial over defense counsel's objections.

Serious issues of fairness have been raised concerning selective prosecution, freedom of speech, judicial bias, the ability to present witnesses in one's defense, due process and the constitutional prohibition against double jeopardy with respect to Lt. Watada's case. While legal minds and good people can disagree about Lt. Watada's beliefs in this case, the JACL is committed to raising awareness and educating other organizations about his principled stand to ensure he is treated with fairness and receives due process within the U.S. military justice system and under the U.S. Constitution.

Cynthia McKinney

Former U.S. Representative

cynthia_mckinney

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (1984)

desmond_tutu

Denis Halliday

Former United Nations Assistant Secretary General

denis_halliday

Support Lt Watada!

* Fall '07 Mobilizatn

* 1st & 3rd Saturday Vigils

* Natl Steering

* Double Jeopardy

* Sign Our Petition

* Prior Action Alerts

* Talking Points --

Respond & Educate!

* Citizens' Hearing

Among the Watada Supporters . . .

photo_collage2
We gratefully acknowledge US Rep. Mike Honda, Willie Nelson, Harry Belafonte, Mike Farrell, Ed Asner, Randi Rhodes, Susan Sarandon, Martin Sheen and many others for their support. Read their statements

Watada on NPR

Tune in or listen online: NPR's Jan 25 Fresh Air interview with Lt. Watada.

Syndicate

ATOM 0.3

OPML

Login Form