The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
July 6, 2011

British Army Medic Jailed for Refusing Afghan Deployment 
---------------------------------------------------------



A British navy medic has been sentenced to seven months in military jail
for refusing to deploy to Afghanistan over moral objections influenced
by Wiki Leaks’ release of secret government cables. Michael Lyons
applied for conscientious objector after Wiki Leaks exposed the cover-up
of civilian casualties in the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq and
Afghanistan. Lyons said his conscientious objection to deployment was
strengthened after an officer told him he wouldn’t be allowed to treat
ailing Afghan civilians, which the officer called “a waste of
resources."



.