Mistrial Declared In Court-Martial Of War Objector
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
FORT LEWIS, Wash. — A judge declared a mistrial yesterday in the court-martial of an Army lieutenant who refused to deploy to Iraq, saying the soldier did not fully understand a document he signed confessing to elements of the charges.
Prosecutors said First Lieutenant Ehren Watada confessed in the document that he had a duty to go to Iraq with his fellow soldiers. Lieutenant Watada, however, said he confessed only that he did not go to Iraq with his unit, not that he had a duty to go.
Military judge Lieutenant Colonel John Head granted prosecutors’ request for a mistrial, which Lieutenant Watada’s lawyer opposed. He set a March 12 date for a new trial and dismissed the jurors.
