Robin Long, War Resister Deported from Canada, to be Court Martialed Tomorrow

Robin Long, Iraq War resister and the first U.S. soldier to be deported from Canadian soil since the Vietnam War, faces a court martial tomorrow for desertion. The charge carries a maximum of three years of confinement, forfeiture of pay, and dishonorable discharge.

Robin Long’s supporters, who view him as an anti-war hero, are expected to pack the Fort Carson, Colorado courtroom where the trial will be held – Building 6221 at 9am. There will be a 5 pm press conference and vigil at the Main Gate with James Branum, Long’s civilian lawyer.

Long has garnered widespread support from U.S. and Canadian citizens for his refusal to fight in a war he believes is illegal and immoral. Courage to Resist, a war resister support group, has been providing support and raising legal funds for Long, which were collected by individual donations from people throughout the United States. Several other Iraq War veteran and resister support groups, such as the War Resisters Support Campaign, Iraq Veterans Against the War, and Veterans for Peace, have taken up Long’s case.

Canada is home to an estimated 200 U.S. soldiers refusing to serve in the Iraq War, and 64 percent of Canadians favor granting them permanent residence, according to a June 27 Angus Reid Strategies poll. The Canadian House of Commons passed a non-binding resolution June 3rd, calling for a stop to the deportation of U.S. soldiers and allowing them to apply for permanent residency in Canada, but the resolution was ignored by the conservative Harper administration. Several other war resisters living in Canada face the immediate threat of deportation, including Jeremy Hinzman, who received a deportation order for September 23rd.

Robin Long fled to Canada in 2005 after he was given orders to report to Iraq. Long had concluded that the war was unjustified and was disturbed by the systematic dehumanization of the Iraqi people he confronted in the U.S. military. "I knew that my conscience couldn't allow me to go over there (to Iraq)," he told Courage to Resist in a January interview. Long has spent the last three years building a life for himself in Canada and leaves behind a partner and child.

“Long is part of a growing G.I. movement against the Iraq War,” says Jeff Paterson, Project Director of Courage to Resist. “Courage to Resist will continue to work for war resister refuge in Canada and support future resisters if needed.”

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