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novapsycheUS war dissenter seeks asylum in Canada
US Army private Jeremy Hinzman fought in Afghanistan and considers himself a patriot. But when his unit was ordered to Iraq, he refused to go and embarked on a radical journey that could make legal history.
Private First Class Hinzman left the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, taking his wife and son to Canada. Officially, he is AWOL (absent without leave), and, instead of fighting insurgents, he is battling the US military in the Canadian courts.
Earlier this month, Private Hinzman, 25, filed legal papers to become the first US soldier objecting to the Iraq war to be granted refugee status in Canada. His case is expected to be a test of new Canadian immigration laws and the country's traditional role of accepting refugees from the US military.
[...] Speaking from Toronto, Private Hinzman said: "I signed up to defend my country, not carry out acts of aggression."
He hopes other troops will refuse to serve in Iraq and come to Canada. "I think I am the first, but I encourage others to do the same. I do not want to sound seditious, but there is strength in numbers."
Private Hinzman said he liked army life for the subsidised housing and groceries and the promises of money for college. "It seemed like a good financial decision," he said.
From the start of basic training, Private Hinzman was upset by the continuous chanting about blood and killing, and what he called the dehumanisation of the enemy."
US Army private Jeremy Hinzman fought in Afghanistan and considers himself a patriot. But when his unit was ordered to Iraq, he refused to go and embarked on a radical journey that could make legal history.
Private First Class Hinzman left the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, taking his wife and son to Canada. Officially, he is AWOL (absent without leave), and, instead of fighting insurgents, he is battling the US military in the Canadian courts.
Earlier this month, Private Hinzman, 25, filed legal papers to become the first US soldier objecting to the Iraq war to be granted refugee status in Canada. His case is expected to be a test of new Canadian immigration laws and the country's traditional role of accepting refugees from the US military.
[...] Speaking from Toronto, Private Hinzman said: "I signed up to defend my country, not carry out acts of aggression."
He hopes other troops will refuse to serve in Iraq and come to Canada. "I think I am the first, but I encourage others to do the same. I do not want to sound seditious, but there is strength in numbers."
Private Hinzman said he liked army life for the subsidised housing and groceries and the promises of money for college. "It seemed like a good financial decision," he said.
From the start of basic training, Private Hinzman was upset by the continuous chanting about blood and killing, and what he called the dehumanisation of the enemy."