Former US war prisoner Bowe Bergdahl charged with desertion
Date March 26, 2015 - 7:47AM
Kelly Twedell
Bowe Bergdahl, the US army officer who was held by the Taliban for five years. Photo: Uncredited
Fort Bragg: US Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, a former Taliban prisoner in Afghanistan, has been formally charged with desertion and misbehaviour before the enemy, and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of the most serious count, the Army said.
Bergdahl's attorney, Eugene Fidell of Yale Law School, said the Army had charged Bergdahl on Wednesday and scheduled an Article 32 investigation, similar to a ground jury proceeding in civilian law, to determine whether there was sufficient evidence to proceed with a court-martial on the charges. The initial hearing is set for April 22, he added.
Bergdahl, 28, was released from Taliban custody last summer in a controversial prisoner swap that saw five Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, transferred to Qatar, where they were required to remain for a year.
Bowe Bergdahl after he was captured in Afghanistan in a still image taken from a video. Photo: Reuters
Bergdahl disappeared on June 30, 2009, from Combat Outpost Mest-Lalak in Paktika Province in eastern Afghanistan and was subsequently captured and held by the Taliban for five years, spending some of the time locked in a cage. He disappeared from the outpost early one morning after doing guard duty. It became apparent he was missing when he failed to show up for roll call, but his gun, ammunition and body armour had been left behind.
An initial wave of euphoria over Bergdahl's release was followed by a backlash among US lawmakers, angry because they were not given 30 days notice before the transfer of the Guantanamo prisoners, as required by law. Some of Bergdahl's former Army comrades said they believed he deserted his post.
The case has been under review by General Mark Milley, head of US Army Forces Command, who was asked to look at the circumstances surrounding Bergdahl's capture.
Flags and balloons in Hailey, Idaho, marking hometown son Bowe Bergdahl's release from captivity in 2014. Photo: AP
As a result of the review, Bergdahl was charged with desertion with intent to shirk important or hazardous duty and misbehaviour before the enemy by endangering the safety of a command, unit or place, an Army spokesman said at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where General Milley is based.
The desertion charge carries a maximum prison term of five years, while the misbehaviour count carries a maximum term of life in prison, he said.
Bergdahl currently has an administrative role in an office at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, where the Article 32 investigation is scheduled to take place. A spokeswoman at the base said it would be up to the lawyers to determine what would happen to Bergdahl now that he has been charged.
Reuters
