War Crimes...

[Highway Man]

A n excuse of following orders is no excuse.

Really? Lawful orders must still be obeyed even if they offend an individual's personal ethics, political judgements or moral beliefs. It is a serious offence to disobey a direct order. Severity of disobeying an order in a war can be very serious for the soldier so in most cases following orders is indeed an excuse.

 

[MNW67]

I fully support the armed forces. People that put their lives at risk to fight for this country should not have to face scrutiny years later.

I also fully support the armed forces. But I think it's a tricky balance in some extreme cases. There are cases about Northern Ireland which keep getting dragged up decades later.

 

[SMG]

UK SF are some of the most highly trained soldiers in the world. On Op Banner they had a very large price on their heads. So first of all, we weren't there, so we cant pass judgement on them. If anyone wants to string someone up for war crimes, start with Blair, who sent us into an illegal war. Any perceived threat, any alarm movements, vocal or physical, SF will deal with, our SF are responsible for saving thousands of lives, since their creation. In any conflict zone stealth is paramount, every conflict will have innocents killed. We will have to wait until the "Accusers" testify in court.

 

[MNW67]

If anyone wants to string someone up for war crimes, start with Blair, who sent us into an illegal war.

It was utterly shocking. I remember following the legal arguments in detail. The way they twisted Lord Goldsmith was awful. Then again, he should have stepped down.

 

[Highway Man]

UK SF are some of the most highly trained soldiers in the world. On Op Banner they had a very large price on their heads. So first of all, we weren't there, so we cant pass judgement on them. If anyone wants to string someone up for war crimes, start with Blair, who sent us into an illegal war. Any perceived threat, any alarm movements, vocal or physical, SF will deal with, our SF are responsible for saving thousands of lives, since their creation. In any conflict zone stealth is paramount, every conflict will have innocents killed. We will have to wait until the "Accusers" testify in court.

Exactly what I have been saying. We do not know any details and cannot pass any judgment without any real evidence of wrong doing. BTW I see you are a sapper? Did you ever serve at Long Marston spares park?

 

[denso13]

Immigrants have clogged up the NHS and are being treated like a protected species, leaving the British to fend for themselves

Silly sausage, more lies.

 

[Deleted member 323070]

Really? Lawful orders must still be obeyed even if they offend an individual's personal ethics, political judgements or moral beliefs. It is a serious offence to disobey a direct order. Severity of disobeying an order in a war can be very serious for the soldier so in most cases following orders is indeed an excuse.

It's difficult to give a precise number of Nazi officials who pleaded they were "just following orders" because the defense was used broadly by many, and not all were tried in the same way. However, the claim that "I was just following orders" was a common defense strategy during the Nuremberg trials and subsequent trials of Nazi war criminals.

They should have been acquited then.

 

[Deleted member 323070]

....We will have to wait until the "Accusers" testify in court.

Is that why all potential witnesses are executed?

 

[Deleted member 323070]

Exactly what I have been saying. We do not know any details and cannot pass any judgment without any real evidence of wrong doing.

But we should be willing to allow an impartial enquiry.
Preventing an enquiry suggests a cover-up.

 

[Highway Man]

They should have been acquited then.

I think the moral compass in most people would have kicked in, I think you are using an absolute extreme example. However I doubt many people would have disobeyed the orders that they had received through fear of them most certainly being executed themselves. In this example you could not turn a blind eye and no they should not have been aquitted,

 

[Highway Man]

But we should be willing to allow an impartial enquiry.
Preventing an enquiry suggests a cover-up.

If an enquiry is not a witch hunt, but as already stated, you nor I know the full facts of this incident. It may sound bad on the face of it but I feel sure there is a lot more detail that we have not been told that would give a different view as to why this has taken place.

 

[Odds]

UK SF are some of the most highly trained soldiers in the world. On Op Banner they had a very large price on their heads. So first of all, we weren't there, so we cant pass judgement on them. If anyone wants to string someone up for war crimes, start with Blair, who sent us into an illegal war. Any perceived threat, any alarm movements, vocal or physical, SF will deal with, our SF are responsible for saving thousands of lives, since their creation. In any conflict zone stealth is paramount, every conflict will have innocents killed. We will have to wait until the "Accusers" testify in court.

It doesn't prevent people like you ignoring the illegal war crimes of the Israeli state in Palestine though, does it?

 

[Deleted member 323070]

I think the moral compass in most people would have kicked in, I think you are using an absolute extreme example. However I doubt many people would have disobeyed the orders that they had received through fear of them most certainly being executed themselves. In this example you could not turn a blind eye and no they should not have been aquitted,

Ah so! It's OK for UK military to use "only following orders", but not for German (or any other country) to use "only following orders" as an excuse for war crimes?
Do you see the problem with that, especially when a country (any country) claims that their military are the most moral military in the world?

You either hold your own military strictly to account, or you accept that other military commit war crimes without fear of prosecution.
Once you allow some war crimes to remain hidden, you are on a downward spiral of violent was crimes.
That was why prisoners were treated with respect during various wars.

 

[Deleted member 323070]

If an enquiry is not a witch hunt, but as already stated, you nor I know the full facts of this incident. It may sound bad on the face of it but I feel sure there is a lot more detail that we have not been told that would give a different view as to why this has taken place.

Refusing to hold an independent enquiry is tantamount to a cover-up, even if there was no wrongdoing.
That is the purpose of an enquiry.

 

[Highway Man]

Refusing to hold an independent enquiry is tantamount to a cover-up, even if there was no wrongdoing.
That is the purpose of an enquiry.

There is no refusal as an enquiry is ongoing.