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US on par with Nazi Germany, says RAF officer in Iraq trial
(Richard Norton-Taylor, The Guardian, April 13, 2006)
An RAF doctor told a court martial yesterday he refused to serve in Iraq because he believed the actions of US armed forces there were "on a par with Nazi Germany". . . . Flight Lieutenant Malcolm Kendall-Smith told the military court he was not prepared to take part in an "act of aggression" contrary to international law. . . . The 37-year-old officer, who has dual British and New Zealand citizenship and is based at RAF Kinloss in Morayshire, Scotland, has pleaded not guilty to five charges of disobeying orders, including a refusal to be deployed to Basra last year. . . . Yesterday, he told the court martial at Aldershot: "I have evidence that the Americans were on a par with Nazi Germany with its actions in the Persian gulf. I have documents in my possession which support my assertions. This is on the basis that ongoing acts of aggression in Iraq and systematically applied war crimes provide a moral equivalent between the US and Nazi Germany." . . . Flt Lt Kendall-Smith said he considered the war in Iraq to be the equivalent of an "imperial invasion and occupation". He said he was extremely disturbed by America's "imperial campaign of military conquest", which was in direct conflict with his duties. . . . He added: "It struck me as incongruous and disturbing that the US air force published the phrase 'global power for America' on their documentation during the conflict. I found that the phrase 'global power for America' was imperial." Asked by David Perry, prosecuting counsel, whether he really believed that the actions of US forces in Iraq were comparable to those of the Third Reich, Flt Lt Kendall-Smith replied: "On the basis of active aggression and systematically applied war crimes, serious violations of international law - yes." . . . After summing up the evidence, the judge advocate Jack Bayliss adjourned the case until today, when a five man panel - all RAF officers - will retire to consider its verdict. In courts martial, panels and the judge consider the sentence together.

posted by LoZo 4:24 AM