Army has filed three charges against 1st Lieutenant Ehren Watada

The Army has filed three charges against a lieutenant who refused to deploy to Iraq last month because he believes the war there is illegal. 1st Lieutenant Ehren Watada is the first commissioned officer to refuse deployment to Iraq. The charges against him include conduct unbecoming an officer, missing movement and contempt toward officials. He faces up to seven years in prison and a dishonorable discharge if convicted.

The contempt and conduct charges are based on public comments he made last month criticizing President Bush and the war. After military officials told Watada he was barred from speaking publicly about the case, he issued this video recording on June 7th explaining why he is refusing to fight.

* 1st Lieutenant Ehren Watada, video statement. Courtesy of Ron Smith.

For more on the latest in 1st Lt. Watada's case, we go to Hawaii to speak with his attorney.

* Eric Seitz, attorney for Army 1st Lieutenant Ehren Watada. He has been working on military cases for many years. He joins us on the line from his home in Hawaii.

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