Execution Of Prisoners

[jake-the-peg]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/10432095/Recording-of-Royal-Marines-accused-of-murdering-Taliban-prisoner-released.html

Court marshals have the same sentencing powers as civillian courts but are they under the same mandatary rules?

If these Royal Marines are found guilty of this murder will we see the same life sentences that a civillian would have to hand down?

Or will we see more suspended sentences like Danny Nightingale?

Will they be named if found guilty?

[emmie]

but we are putting ourselves forward as more humane, compassionate and live by the rule of law, if so then they shouldn't be shooting unarmed combatants.

[emmie]

if the man was injured they should or could have taken him to a hospital or at the least left him where he was, this was a shot to the chest that killed the man, so that is not a fair treatment, humane or indeed remotely compassionate, Geneva convention will not permit the killing in this manner, and as the soldier has been found guilty of murder one hopes this sends out a message that it won't be tolerated. This also by the way sends a very bad message to the Taliban, Al Quaeda, because if they think British forces won't stop at shooting dead injured fighters, what makes you think they won't use that as propaganda.

[Zeuhl]

fender

point of detail

we are fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan not Al Qaeda

Senior U.S. military intelligence officials reckon there are very few members of al-Qaeda remaining in Afghanistan

[emmie]

fender, in principle you are right, but we can't win hearts and minds if they continue to break the law, this is a propaganda coup which ever way you look at it. The man has been found guilty of murder, which truthfully is the only thing they could do. I am surprised the other two went free, the footage, or at least what one can hear on the tape is pretty clear as to what happened.

[emmie]

but this hands them a much need fillip.... and he broke the rules,

[trt]

##This marine did not shoot someone active in combat, but calmly when the man was in captivity and presented no threat##

A lot better than having your head severed on video with your hands tied behind your back, and put on-line!

[Zeuhl]

Sod the Taliban

This is about our Values and Principles: as sketched out by emmie

Crappy things do happen in combat, but if we don't condemn this sort of behaviour what is the point of it all?

British troops have taken wounded afghan enemies into our medical facilities on many occasions

That is what we do. And we should be proud of that. And disappointed by this particular man's failure.

[emmie]

fender, i understand - and i also agree they don't play by the Marquis of Queensbury rules, but we are supposed to be civilised, whilst we accuse them of being barbarians, so we must rise above it... if we do the same, what makes us better than them?

[emmie]

my mad head says lets kill them all, lets do what they do, they hate us, we hate them, see how easy it is, however my sometime, mostly sensible head says that if we behave this way we will lose ever more of our servicemen and women, as they will resort to even more barbaric methods of dispatch, and start by kidnapping more British workers, aid workers, and indeed do this on our door step, is that what you want. I was within spitting distance of the bus bomb in London, admittedly i would have had to spit a distance, but that could have been me, or a friend, family member? do we want more of this.... no we don't.

[emmie]

but why give them more reason to.

[trt]

If they had gone out of their way to take him for medical treatment, they might have been attacked by the Taliban!

[Zeuhl]

/there going to try and blow us whether we are civilised or not/

well if so, we might as well stick to our normal high standards

[emmie]

they could simply have left him be, he might have died anyway, he was injured, however they chose not to do that, a bullet to the chest made sure of his death.