“…our species is one, and each of the individuals who compose it are entitled to equal moral consideration.”

Michael Ignatieff, Human Rights as Politics and Idolatry

I strongly reject the viewpoint put forward by Major-General Julian Thompson calling for clemency for a soldier, known as Marine A who chose to execute a wounded Afghan insurgent in Helmand Province when it was his duty to treat the wounded man.

Marine A received a life sentence whilst two others, Marines B and C were cleared of charges. All three had been granted anonymity because of the risk they would become targets for terrorists.

I don’t care how distinguished Major Thompson is in his field, Marine A deserves neither clemency, anonymity nor reduction of his life sentence. There must be transparency and accountability to maintain a civilized society.

Marine A broke the Geneva Convention in an act described by Brigadier Bill Dunham, of the Royal Marines as “a truly shocking and appalling aberration.” This case must be an example to others, a deterrent from actions that promote inhumanity and discredit those Marines that do follow the Convention. To date 195 countries have signed the convention (which dates back to 1864) including Britain and Afghanistan.

The Geneva Convention declares the following,

“the person of the soldier who has been wounded or who is sick, and for that reason is ‘hors de combat’ (out of action) is from that moment sacred and inviolable. He must be tended with the same care, whether he be friend or foe”

Article three of the third convention rules that members of the armed forces who have laid down their arms or who cannot fight due to sickness, wounds or detention should be,

“treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria”

Let’s deal with fact. Marine B inadvertently captured footage of the killing of a wounded Afghan prisoner on his helmet-mounted camera. Marine A was shown shooting the Afghan prisoner in the chest at point blank range, saying, “there, shuffle off this mortal coil… It’s nothing you wouldn’t do to us.”

For state actors to dismiss the serious nature of such crimes means that they are giving licence for the military to act outside of the law. There is continued pressure on the public to support soldiers whatever their behaviour through the false rhetoric often given by western media of a “just war”.  This is abhorrent to those of us that reject imperialism, invasion and aggression and who exercise our right to promote a message of peace. We will not be told who we should view as our enemy but choose to think for ourselves.

Joe Glenton, a former soldier who refused to serve a second tour in Afghanistan on legal and moral grounds which resulted in five months in military prison believes that “soldier worship” is blinding Britain to the grim reality of war, he argues,

“we should not feel compelled to point out that those brave men and women are fighting in Afghanistan to secure our safety every time the military is mentioned. First, because it is not true that they are; and second, because such blustering at the merest glimpse of camouflage clothing is an obvious and embarrassing capitulation to dogma” http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/08/soldier-worship-royal-marine-murder-afghan

The public need to get real. Britain INVADED Afghanistan and many within are going to defend their territory as we would defend ours if Afghans decided to suddenly occupy Britain. Did the Resistance not fight a guerrilla war when France was occupied by the Nazis? Invaders are greeted with guns as opposed to roses, insurgents plant bombs not throw bouquets. What exactly do the Marines expect!

The video footage of this murder should be released not censored. The argument given by Judge Jeff Blackett, Judge Advocate General that the video is so inflammatory it would be used as a gift to terrorist propagandists does not stand.

Truth is NOT propaganda, the reality is one murdered prisoner and not a mention of the impact on the grieving relatives of this man. He was some mother’s son, maybe a brother, a husband, a father.

This was a cold-blooded, pre-meditated murder of an injured person who lay captive on the ground, too weak to defend himself. Dr Nicholas Hunt, a pathologist told the court that the man was still alive at the time he was shot and could be seen “deliberately” moving his limbs and “made a facial expression as if he was in pain”.

War is cruel, traumatic and bloody. I have news for Marine A… life IS unfair, the acts of US and British governments unlawfully killed two of my family and harmed 4,500 of my community, not in war but in civilian life. Yes we get very angry and distressed. Would there be clemency and anonymity for me if I chose to kill the many politicians, members of corporations, health professionals, lawyers and human rights organizations that colluded to cover up and stay silent on the deaths of my loved ones deemed state “collateral damage” in court.

We can all fantasize about taking revenge but Marine A, a professional soldier made a conscious decision to cross the line and take the life of an incapacitated prisoner. As General Mike Jackson, former head of the army stated, “it’s not about whether the Taliban do or do not adhere to whatever set of rules, if any. It is about the standards which apply to the British armed forces which are drawn from the Geneva Convention.”

Islamic Emirate (Afghan Taliban) regularly post information regarding claims of human rights abuses allegedly inflicted by US and allies on civilians and insurgents in Afghanistan, stating their claims are often ignored by international human rights organizations. One person with sympathies towards Taliban had this to say,

 “they just want to use this “prosecution” to show the world how civilized they are as compared to Taliban. In reality their soldiers have done worse things and are still serving and there is no prosecution for them. This is just a sham to fool the public”

In contrast to the killing of this Afghan insurgent, I point to the case of Bowe Bergdahl, the American prisoner of war held by insurgents somewhere in the Afghan/Pakistan border region. On my last inquiry I was told he was in good health and in a safe house. Recently I submitted several questions to the Taliban inquiring as to his current condition on humanitarian grounds and was told they would do their best to pass on my questions to Bowe. Contrary to what we might be led to believe in the media regarding treatment of all foreign soldiers, Afghan insurgents do appear to be following the Geneva Convention for this particular prisoner of war.

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad.  She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.