Military Justice News for Feb. 26, 2013
The DoD IG has denied FOIA requests for copies of the investigation report related to General Allen’s emails that while not derailing his appointment to NATO, likely played a role in his decision to retire. See WaPo coverage here.
The NYT reports, here, that NATO and Afghan officials have agreed to a joint investigation of alleged abuses by US special operations forces in the Maidan Wardak province outside of Kabul.
Two US sailors pled guilty in a Japanese court in Okinawa, Stripes report here. Earlier coverage of protests over the case here.
Two deployed US Sailors, 23 and 24 years old, are so morally depraved that they conspire on a whim to rape a Japanese woman who just happened to be walking down the street, kidnap her, rape her for 50 minutes, steal $87 from her purse, then go drinking with it, and they admitted the acts, which are all caught on camera.
I bet a couple of Navy Judge Advocates are relieved they don’t have to make a sentencing argument at those Sailors’ courts-martial.
KF–Yeah, not ideal facts for a defense counsel.
Talking about defense arguments.
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2013/02/air-force-tyndall-jag-convicted-underage-sex-case-022613w/
Hopefully the WAPO will challenge the denial of the FOIA in Federal Court. We all know that there is no right to privacy in DoN e-mails — so says the revised banner on all DoD computers (after US v. Long was decided ) and the Navy JAG’s admin law notes to JAGs. If the e-mails are not private and there is no right to privacy in the e-mails because they were on DON computers, there is no basis to deny the report that investigated the content. I hope the WaPo has the stones to send Williams & Connolly up to Federal Court to challenge the denial.