- FORT BENNING, Georgia (May 24) - Army National Guard Specialist
Katherine Jashinski received a bad conduct discharge today and was sentenced
to 120 days confinement after pleading guilty to the charge of "refusal
to obey a legal order." She was acquitted of the more serious charge
of "missing movement by design." With 53 days already served
(on Fort Benning), and 20 days off for good behavior, Ms. Jashinski has
47 days of confinement remaining.
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- On November 17, 2005, Jashinski made
a public statement of conscientious objection on the eve of her scheduled
deployment to Afghanistan. Eighteen months after filing, the Army denied
her application for a discharge. She was then court-martialed for refusing
to train with weapons.
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- Jashinski's superiors testified that
they believed in the sincerity of her CO claim, and the Judge noted that
he was convinced of the same.
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- Aidan Delgado and Camilo Mejía,
members of Iraq Veterans Against the War, attended Ms. Jashinski's trial
today to support her. They described the atmosphere of the courtroom as
initially tense, but said that Jashinski's powerful heartfelt testimony
changed the tone of the room.
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- "Iraq Veterans Against the War supports
the right of every soldier to follow their conscience," said Delgado.
"As the first woman GI to publicly take a stand against this war and
to declare herself a CO, Katherine's actions are very significant. She
is a fine example of a young person standing up for her beliefs."
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- Ms. Jashinski is feeling triumphant and
happy to have resolution. After completing her sentence she will return
to school at the University of Texas at Austin and continue her work with
the newly founded Austin GI Rights Hotline.
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