Trump pardon for Army officer convicted of killing prisoner condemned – Rights Group
Washington, May 7 (Sputnik/UNI) President Donald Trump’s pardon of a former US Army officer convicted of murdering an Iraqi prisoner undermines US military morale and places serving troops in greater danger, Human Rights First (HRF) President and CEO Michael Breen said on Tuesday.
“President Trump’s pardon of a servicemember convicted of murder by the US military undermines the morale of our armed forces, erodes our allies’ trust of the armed services overseas and… places our servicemembers in greater danger in combat zones and beyond,” Breen said.
In 2008, First Lieutenant Michael Behenna shot dead a suspected member of the al-Qaeda terrorist group (banned in Russia), Ali Mansur Mohammed, to avenge the killing of two of his troops. In 2009, Behenna was sentenced to 25 years jail, but he had his sentence reduced and was released on parole in 2014. Trump pardoned him on Monday.
“It is the job of members of the military to go to war. We expect these men and women to operate in extreme environments, and to behave lawfully and with honor when they do. Without rules of conduct, the military is simply an armed mob,” Breen said.
It is vital that current and future generations of US military and foreign policy leaders send a clear message that war crimes and torture are illegal, immoral and counterproductive and that those who violate laws will be held accountable, Breen said.
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