Clandestino
03-25-2005, 11:44 AM
Throw his ass in jail!
Canada denies asylum to U.S. paratrooper opposed to war in Iraq
By BETH DUFF-BROWN
Associated Press
3/25/2005
Click to view larger picture
Associated Press
Jeremy Hinzman fails to convince Canadian board he faces persecution.
TORONTO - A U.S. Army paratrooper was denied political asylum Thursday, dealing a blow to Americans seeking refuge in Canada to avoid serving in an Iraq conflict that they argue would force them to commit atrocities against civilians.
An immigration board ruled that Jeremy Hinzman had not convinced its members he would face persecution or cruel and unusual punishment if returned to the United States.
Seven other American military personnel have applied for refugee status, and Jeffrey House, Hinzman's lawyer estimated dozens of others remain in hiding in Canada waiting to see how the government ruled. He said Hinzman would appeal the ruling and expected to win.
"He is disappointed," House told CBC TV. "We don't believe that people should be imprisoned for doing what they believe is illegal."
Brian Goodman, the Immigration and Refugee Board member who wrote the ruling, said Hinzman might face some employment and social discrimination. But "the treatment does not amount to a violation of a fundamental human right, and the harm is not serious," he wrote.
Canada opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, and the decision could help ease strained relations between the two governments.
If sent home, Hinzman could face charges of desertion and would face up to five years in prison. He and seven other U.S. military deserters are being represented by House, a Wisconsin native who came to Canada in 1970 to avoid the draft during the Vietnam War.
The Pentagon has urged the deserters to return to the United States and argue their cases at their military bases.
"We are an Army serving a nation at war," the Army said in a statement after Thursday's ruling. "Each of us volunteered to serve, and the vast majority serve honorably. AWOL and desertion are crimes that go against Army values, degrade unit readiness and, in a time of war, may put the lives of other soldiers at risk."
Hinzman, 26, lives with his wife and young son in Toronto, where Quakers and the War Resisters coalition of anti-war groups have taken on his cause and provided some shelter.
He fled from Fort Bragg, N.C., in January 2004, weeks before his 82nd Airborne Division was due to go to Iraq. He had served three years in the Army, but had applied for conscientious objector status before his unit was sent to Afghanistan in 2002.
In December, Hinzman, who maintains that the war in Iraq is illegal, told the Immigration and Refugee Board that he would have had to take part in war crimes if he went to there. He said he would be persecuted if forced to return to the United States.
Hinzman also testified he had been willing to fulfill his full four-year obligation to the Army, but not to participate in combat.
"I find Mr. Hinzman's position to be inherently contradictory," Goodman said in the ruling. "Surely an intelligent young man like Mr. Hinzman, who believes the war in Iraq to be illegal, unjust and waged for economic reasons, would be unwilling to participate in any capacity, whether as combatant or noncombatant."
Hinzman's lawyer estimated as many as 100 American war resisters are hiding in Canada, waiting to see how Hinzman's case plays out before coming forward.
Canada denies asylum to U.S. paratrooper opposed to war in Iraq
By BETH DUFF-BROWN
Associated Press
3/25/2005
Click to view larger picture
Associated Press
Jeremy Hinzman fails to convince Canadian board he faces persecution.
TORONTO - A U.S. Army paratrooper was denied political asylum Thursday, dealing a blow to Americans seeking refuge in Canada to avoid serving in an Iraq conflict that they argue would force them to commit atrocities against civilians.
An immigration board ruled that Jeremy Hinzman had not convinced its members he would face persecution or cruel and unusual punishment if returned to the United States.
Seven other American military personnel have applied for refugee status, and Jeffrey House, Hinzman's lawyer estimated dozens of others remain in hiding in Canada waiting to see how the government ruled. He said Hinzman would appeal the ruling and expected to win.
"He is disappointed," House told CBC TV. "We don't believe that people should be imprisoned for doing what they believe is illegal."
Brian Goodman, the Immigration and Refugee Board member who wrote the ruling, said Hinzman might face some employment and social discrimination. But "the treatment does not amount to a violation of a fundamental human right, and the harm is not serious," he wrote.
Canada opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, and the decision could help ease strained relations between the two governments.
If sent home, Hinzman could face charges of desertion and would face up to five years in prison. He and seven other U.S. military deserters are being represented by House, a Wisconsin native who came to Canada in 1970 to avoid the draft during the Vietnam War.
The Pentagon has urged the deserters to return to the United States and argue their cases at their military bases.
"We are an Army serving a nation at war," the Army said in a statement after Thursday's ruling. "Each of us volunteered to serve, and the vast majority serve honorably. AWOL and desertion are crimes that go against Army values, degrade unit readiness and, in a time of war, may put the lives of other soldiers at risk."
Hinzman, 26, lives with his wife and young son in Toronto, where Quakers and the War Resisters coalition of anti-war groups have taken on his cause and provided some shelter.
He fled from Fort Bragg, N.C., in January 2004, weeks before his 82nd Airborne Division was due to go to Iraq. He had served three years in the Army, but had applied for conscientious objector status before his unit was sent to Afghanistan in 2002.
In December, Hinzman, who maintains that the war in Iraq is illegal, told the Immigration and Refugee Board that he would have had to take part in war crimes if he went to there. He said he would be persecuted if forced to return to the United States.
Hinzman also testified he had been willing to fulfill his full four-year obligation to the Army, but not to participate in combat.
"I find Mr. Hinzman's position to be inherently contradictory," Goodman said in the ruling. "Surely an intelligent young man like Mr. Hinzman, who believes the war in Iraq to be illegal, unjust and waged for economic reasons, would be unwilling to participate in any capacity, whether as combatant or noncombatant."
Hinzman's lawyer estimated as many as 100 American war resisters are hiding in Canada, waiting to see how Hinzman's case plays out before coming forward.