Soldiers to get life in jail for refusing to act as occupiers

[Sapphire Blue]

Soldiers to get life in jail for refusing to act as occupiers
GERRI PEEV
POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

SOLDIERS who object to taking part in a military occupation of a foreign country will face life in prison under measures due to be rubber-stamped in the House of Commons on Monday.

The little-noticed Armed Forces Bill will have its third reading in the Commons on Monday and left-leaning MPs are alarmed that it will legitimise pre-emptive military strikes.

It will change the definition of desertion to include soldiers who go absent without leave and intend to refuse to take part in a "military occupation of a foreign country or territory".

Under the current Army Act, desertion is defined as "going absent intending not to come back, going absent to avoid any service overseas, or going absent to avoid service when before an enemy".

Continued @ http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=742682006

[StellaBlue]

1. WHOAH!

Holy shit.

:(

[RethugAssKicker]

2. LIFE ?... Are you sure ?

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4. "the maximum penalty would be applied"

The Ministry of Defence denied that the scope and definition was new or tougher than the existing law.

"Under current legislation the maximum penalty for all offences of desertion is life imprisonment. In most cases we have reduced this in the Armed Forces Bill to two years," a spokeswoman said.

However, where an offender deserted to avoid active service, such as the Iraq war, the maximum penalty would be applied, she said.

http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=742682006

[sweetheart]

3. What about AWOL labour party leaders

Who've gone way far off platform to pursue the occupation
of foreign political territory. .. war criminals.

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5. MPs refuse to cut life sentence for deserters

MPs refuse to cut life sentence for deserters
GERRI PEEV
POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

SOLDIERS who desert the armed forces because they refuse to serve in a foreign military occupation could still face life in prison after a bid to cut the sentence was rejected by MPs.

An amendment to the Armed Forces Bill that would have reduced the maximum jail term for deserters to two years was overwhelmingly rejected. Instead, MPs voted 442-19 to keep life imprisonment.

Left-wing Labour MPs joined forces with the SNP to try to reduce the tariff.

John McDonnell, the chairman of Labour's Campaign Group, claimed the plans were part of a government crackdown on servicemen and women opposed to the war in Iraq. He said the punishment was "inhuman and barbaric".

Continued @ http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=1034&id=762772006