I just got an e-mail from Code Pink saying that conscientious objector Camilo Mejia has been released from prison. For those who don't know the story, here's some background from the amnestyusa.org website:
A US military court sentenced Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia Castillo on May 21, 2004, to the maximum penalty of one year's imprisonment for desertion. He had refused to return to his unit in Iraq, citing moral reasons, the legality of the war and the conduct of US troops towards Iraqi civilians and prisoners.
Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia Castillo was deployed in Iraq in April 2003. During this tour of duty, he began to question the morality and legality of the war. He returned home in October 2003 on leave for two weeks and did not return to duty in Iraq. He filed for conscious objector status on March 16, 2004, affirming his belief that the war and consequent occupation was "illegal and immoral." In his application Camilo Mejia depicted the circumstances of detainee's detention and treatment, citing instances where soldiers were ordered to "break the detainees' resolve."
More after the fold.
Camilo Mejia described such actions of fellow military personnel as depriving prisoners of sleep by banging on metal walls with sledge hammers and loading pistols near the ears of prisoners. He also cited witnessing killing of civilians, including children, as an incentive for his desertion. Since April 2004 it has been publicly documented that US agents have been physically and mentally torturing prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia Castillo was sentenced despite his pending application for conscientious objector status. His lawyers were not permitted to present any arguments related to his application during the trial. Mejia Castillo was held in Fort Still, Oklahoma.