The case of Sergeant Blackman

[Berkut]

From the sound of it, he did nothing wrong. Enemy combatant, no mention of surrender attempt. The fact he was lying on the ground didn't make him not dangerous.

•Article 3. In the case of armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties, each Party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following provisions: ◦(1) Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria. To this end, the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons: ◾(a) violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture;
◾(b) taking of hostages;
◾(c) outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment;
◾(d) the passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgment pronounced by a regularly constituted court, affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples.



◦(2) The wounded and sick shall be collected and cared for. An impartial humanitarian body, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, may offer its services to the Parties to the conflict.
The Parties to the conflict should further endeavour to bring into force, by means of special agreements, all or part of the other provisions of the present Convention.

The application of the preceding provisions shall not affect the legal status of the Parties to the conflict.

[garbon]

Uh, guys, you recognize that Tyr is quoting Wellington in 1813, right?

No, I had no idea.

[Razgovory]

Uh, guys, you recognize that Tyr is quoting Wellington in 1813, right?

I just figured that his unusual coherence was because he hadn't hit the sauce yet today.

[jimmy olsen]

Uh, guys, you recognize that Tyr is quoting Wellington in 1813, right?

I did!

[Brazen]

Uh, guys, you recognize that Tyr is quoting Wellington in 1813, right?

No, I'm a historical ignoramus 

Besides, I leave at 17:30; by 18:13 I'm on the train.

[Scipio]

Sergeant African-American Person is in deep doo-doo.

[Eddie Teach]

Statements from the Marine himself don't exactly sound good:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Helmand_Province_incident

The incident took place in Helmand Province during Operation Herrick 14,[7] part of the British effort in the War in Afghanistan. Blackman, of 42 Commando, Royal Marines,[14] was part of a Marine patrol that came across an Afghan fighter in a field wounded by Apache Helicopter gunfire.[1][5][9] Blackman ordered the Afghan to be moved out of sight of the British Persistent Ground Surveillance System,[1] a camera on a balloon above British Forward Operating Base Shazad, Helmand, covering the area Blackman's patrol had been sent to.[10] Video evidence played at the Marines' subsequent trial shows them dragging the man across the field and then kicking him.[15] Blackman ordered other servicemen to stop administering first aid to the insurgent[1] and eventually shot the man in the chest with a 9 mm pistol,[9][15] saying: "Shuffle off this mortal coil, you cunt. It's nothing you wouldn't do to us."[5][11][15][16] He then added: "I just broke the Geneva Convention."[3][17]

Ok, that's a horse of a different color. If they're moving the Afghan around, clearly they have taken custody of him.

[The Brain]

His choice of words did lend the whole sordid affair a touch of class though. I suggest suspended sentence.

[grumbler]

Sergeant African-American Person is in deep doo-doo.

I see what you did there.

[grumbler]

Ok, that's a horse of a different color. If they're moving the Afghan around, clearly they have taken custody of him.

Custody makes no difference.  The horse is still the same color (or, since the guy is a Brit, colour).

[Eddie Teach]

Custody makes no difference.  The horse is still the same color (or, since the guy is a Brit, colour).

You would have them approach enemy combatants and wait for them to draw first? That is a pretty shitty way to conduct a war.

[grumbler]

You would have them approach enemy combatants and wait for them to draw first? That is a pretty shitty way to conduct a war.

Why would you do that?  That is a pretty shitty way to conduct a war!

[Berkut]

I think overall the only issue I have with this case is that the guy is likely to get out in less than a decade.

[The Brain]

He can run for PM, and make the dead guy a punchline. Staying classy and shit.