Watada Judge Bars Statements on Legality of Iraq War
FORT LEWIS, Wash. — The judge in the case against the first American officer court-martialed for refusing to ship out for Iraq barred several experts in international and constitutional law from testifying yesterday about the legality of the war.
John Froschauer / AP
Actor Sean Penn waits to take to the stage among supporters of First Lieutenant Ehren Watada during a rally near the gates of Fort Lewis Army Base in DuPont, Wash., yesterday.
First Lieutenant Ehren Watada, 28, of Honolulu is charged with missing movement for refusing to ship out with his unit, the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. He is also faces charges of conduct unbecoming an officer for accusing the Army of war crimes and denouncing the administration for conducting an "illegal war" founded on "lies."
As his court-martial got under way, the military judge, Lieutenant Colonel John Head, refused to allow almost all defense witnesses to take the stand. Head previously ruled that Lieutenant Watada's attorney, Eric Seitz, could not debate the legality of the Iraq war in court.
If convicted, Lieutenant Watada could receive four years in prison and a dishonorable discharge. He has requested that a military panel of officers, the equivalent of a jury, hear his case. It had not yet been selected by midday.
Outside the base, a small group that included actor Sean Penn demonstrated in support of Lieutenant Watada. A few others demonstrated against him, including one man who carried a sign calling Lieutenant Watada a "weasel."
