JURIST - Hotline: Robin Long's fate shows intolerance to US military seeking sanctuary in Canada

Sarah Lazare [Project Director, Courage to Resist]: "Robin Long's refusal to fight in the illegal and immoral war against Iraq was a courageous act, and it is regretful that soldiers in his position do not have avenues for resisting service that do not land them in jail. The Canadian government's decision to deport Long into U.S. military custody was a disgrace; it flaunted Canada's longstanding tradition of providing sanctuary to U.S. soldiers and amounted to complicity in the U.S. war against Iraq, a war that Canada supposedly refused to participate in. The U.S. military's decision to give Long the maximum sentence negotiated in the pre-trial agreement and the longest sentence given to any Iraq war resister clearly reflects the heavy hand with which G.I. resistance is met in today's climate.

Long's sentence has profound implications for the estimated 200 Iraq war resisters living in Canada. Several other war resisters in Canada have received orders for deportation, including Jeremy Hinzman, who received a deportation order for September 23rd.

Despite the high stakes, G.I. resistance is on the rise: as public and G.I. support for the Iraq war plummets, more and more soldiers are refusing to fight, and many Iraq Veterans are joining Iraq Veterans Against the War in calling for an immediate end to the invasion of Iraq."