Soldier tried in absentia

[CSM]

US soldier charged over Italian shot in Iraq
By Reuters, Wed Feb 7 2007 2:12 PM GMT

A Rome judge ordered on Wednesday a U.S. soldier to stand trial on homicide charges for shooting dead an Italian intelligence agent in Iraq in 2005 as he was escorting a newly freed hostage to safety, prosecutors said.

Mario Lozano of the U.S. Army's 69th Infantry Regiment was charged with voluntary homicide for shooting Nicola Calipari at a checkpoint near Baghdad airport.

He will be almost certainly tried in absentia as the U.S. military has not revealed his location to Italy.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/29a0a9b2-b6c...0779e2340.html


Love those Italians!

[trobinett]

This is just ridiculous!

[Gaffer]

Another example of why we need to stay out of treaties with EU.

[Hagbard Celine]

Do you guys not think that soldiers should be held accountable when they break the law? If so, why? Do you think that soldiers are superior to normal people or that their service in the military precludes them from decent behavior and following the laws of man?

[CSM]

Do you guys not think that soldiers should be held accountable when they break the law? If so, why? Do you think that soldiers are superior to normal people or that their service in the military precludes them from decent behavior and following the laws of man?

Now I remember why I had you on ignore on that "other" board.

[Gaffer]

Do you guys not think that soldiers should be held accountable when they break the law? If so, why? Do you think that soldiers are superior to normal people or that their service in the military precludes them from decent behavior and following the laws of man?

The soldiers that fired on that car in this case had not been informed of the hostage rescue and thought it was a suicide bomber coming at them. They responded appropreately. If the soldier had done something wrong he would have been investigated and tried by our own military as has been done repeatedly before. This is nothing but a leftist move to attack our military again. They can try him in abstentia all they want. He's going to be back in this country living safe and comfortable.

Our military is held to a lot more stringent accountability than any country in the world. We take care of our own and don't need other countries doing it for us.

[pegwinn]

Do you guys not think that soldiers should be held accountable when they break the law? Of course they should. Atrocities and violations of the laws of war besmirch all professional military men. However, this incident has been investigated to death. He was within the rules of engagement, which are in my opinion to hard.

If so, why? Explained above.

Do you think that soldiers are superior to normal people Yes. Read my blog post on the rebuttal to daily kos (click the link in my sig and then click the story link.)

or that their service in the military precludes them from decent behavior and following the laws of man? Of course not. IN fact, our military is held to a higher standard than our elected officials.

Did you know that a passage thru friendly lines is more dangerous than a frontal assault?

[Gunny]

Do you guys not think that soldiers should be held accountable when they break the law? If so, why? Do you think that soldiers are superior to normal people or that their service in the military precludes them from decent behavior and following the laws of man?

One, there are no "Laws of Man."

Two, if the soldier had actually committed a crime, he'd have been held accountable by appropriate US authorities.

The Italians have been looking for some bullshit excuse ever since that libby journalist of theirs ran a roadblock and her vehicle was fired on.

Italy has no jurisdiction over the United States nor its personnel. Simple as that.

[trobinett]

While stationed in Belgium at SHAPE, a friend of mine was involved in a terrible death while on vacation in France.

He and his new American bride, also an American solider, were driving back to Belgium in a light rain in the early morning hours, on a two lane black top highway. While rounding a curve, they ran upon a Frenchman on a bicycle, and struck him. They were NOT speeding, even for the weather conditions, nor were they impaired in any way. A Frenchman would of been let go on the spot, yet because these were Americans, and service personal to boot, they were both held for two days, the female was released, and the male was going to be held until trial.

After some negoiations with French authorities he was released, and ordered to present himself to French control in two weeks.

SHAPE officials put him on the first plane to the United States, and let the French try him in absentia. He was found guilty of reckless driving.

Its exactly what we all thought would happen, and were pleased that our Base Commander had authorized his return to the states.

[Hagbard Celine]

So I guess the answers are "no" and "yes" respectively.

[theHawk]

So I guess the answers are "no" and "yes" respectively.

Thats obviously the only answers you want to hear, even though they've all been saying the exact opposite.

[Hagbard Celine]

Thats obviously the only answers you want to hear, even though they've all been saying the exact opposite.

These soldiers murdered someone and all the other posters are doing is making excuses for them. They obviously believe that soldiers are above the law.

[theHawk]

These soldiers murdered someone and all the other posters are doing is making excuses for them. They obviously believe that soldiers are above the law.

Nice of you to presume them guilty. They broke no laws, they fired on a vehicle that was speeding to their checkpoint. You have no way of proving that they knew who was in the car and shot at them intentionally anyway in order to kill them. If they wanted to kill the people in the car, they would of run up and finished the job --instead there were survivors and they called in the medics once they realized who they were. That is not murder, it was all a misunderstanding.

[Hobbit]

These soldiers murdered someone and all the other posters are doing is making excuses for them. They obviously believe that soldiers are above the law.

You have a pretty loose definition of murder. In a place where the enemy uses cars loaded with explosives to try to kill you, you can't second guess yourself. An undocumented, unmarked vehicle was speeding right toward them. They assumed it was a suicide bomb, because they couldn't afford not to. That being the case, they shot at it. This would be the equivalent of shooting someone rushing at you with a knife only to find out later that the knife was fake and it was part of some publicity stunt. That's not murder.

[Hagbard Celine]

You have a pretty loose definition of murder. In a place where the enemy uses cars loaded with explosives to try to kill you, you can't second guess yourself. An undocumented, unmarked vehicle was speeding right toward them. They assumed it was a suicide bomb, because they couldn't afford not to. That being the case, they shot at it. This would be the equivalent of shooting someone rushing at you with a knife only to find out later that the knife was fake and it was part of some publicity stunt. That's not murder.

You're right, I should've said "man slaughter."