Trump recently said he was considering pardoning 2 to 3 U.S. soldiers accused of war crimes, a move that caused much controversy and resentment.
According to the New York Times reported on the 18th, Trump asked the Department of Justice to provide written materials on several high-profile war crime cases to prepare for the amnesty that may be announced on or before the US Memorial Day.
▲ Memorial Day is the day when the American people pay tribute to the soldiers who died heroically to defend the motherland, and it is the last Monday in May every year, and this year is scheduled for May 27. (Figure via AP)
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he had not yet made a decision on the cases, but would likely wait until the defendants appeared before deciding whether to pardon them.
“Some of these soldiers are people that have fought hard, long. You know, we teach them how to be great fighters, and then when they fight sometime, they get really treated very unfairly,” Trump said.“ Some of these soldiers were people who fought long and hard. You know, we teach them how to be great warriors, and in some of the moments when they fight, they're really treated very unfairly," Trump said.
▲ Trump says considering pardons for some U.S. soldiers accused of war crimes (via Reuters)
Although it is unclear who Trump will pardon, foreign media have found some clues from Trump's frequent tweets. In the view of many senior military officials and human rights experts, by pardoning these people, Trump is implicitly approving these acts.
Those likely to be pardoned include Edward Gallagher, a Navy SEALs special operations commander.
图 via Reuters
Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, a Navy SEAL accused by platoon members of wanton violence, including stabbing to death a teenage boy, and gunning down a girl and an old man from a sniper's nest. Gallagher is said to have boasted about his kills and labeled as traitors those who reported his alleged crimes. In a March tweet, Trump moved him to less restrictive confinement in "honor of his past service to our country." 特种部队指挥官Edward Gallagher是一名海豹突击队队员，他被队内成员指控犯下了肆意的暴力行为，包括刺死一名十几岁的男孩， As well as shooting a girl and an old man from sniper bunkers. Gallagher is said to have boasted of his own killings and labeled traitors those who reported his crimes. In a Tweet in March, Trump transferred him to a prison with fewer restrictions to "commemorate his past service to our country."
▲Donald Trump pardoning war criminals on Memorial Day would be desecrating a holiday (via USA TODAY)
In honor of his past service to our country, Navy SEALs Eddie Gallagher will soon be transferred to a less restricted prison while awaiting the day of the court trial. Processes should move fast! @foxandfriends @RepRalphNorman
Another person who may be pardoned is a former member of the Green Beret (U.S. Army Special Forces), Colonel Matthew Golsteyn.
Army Maj. Mathew Golsteyn, a Green Beret charged with summarily executing a man suspected of being a Taliban bomb-maker who had been ordered released after an interrogation. Golsteyn admitted the crime only after undergoing a polygraph while trying to join the CIA. A green beret soldier, Major Mathew Golsteyn, is accused of hastily executing a man suspected of being a Taliban bomb maker who was ordered to be released after interrogation. Golsteyn did not admit to the crime until he took a lie detector test while trying to join the CIA. Trump tweeted last year that he was an "American military hero."
The third person likely to be pardoned was Nicholas Slatten, a private military mercenary in Blackwater.
Former Blackwater contractor Nicholas Slatten, convicted of instigating the slaughter of 14 Iraqi civilians and the wounding of 17 with a cadre of Blackwater gunmen at a Baghdad intersection. Trial evidence revealed that Slatten viewed Iraqis as "animals." Nicholas Slatten, a former blackwater mercenary, was convicted of inciting a group of Blackwater militants to massacre 14 Iraqi civilians and wound 17 others at a crossroads in Baghdad. Trial evidence showed Slatten regarded Iraqis as "animals."
On June 11, 2014, Nicholas Slatten left Washington Federal Court after a first-degree murder trial.
图via AP
Trump's intention to pardon has sparked controversy.
Pardoning convicted military personnel would tell the world that the United States no longer has a disciplined military
(via The Washington Post)
Donald Trump's pardon of war criminals on Memorial Day would be a blasphemy against the holiday
(via USA TODAY)
Trump's pardon for war crimes would insult millions of servicemen
Gen. Martin Dempsey, former chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, tweeted:
In the absence of innocent or unjust evidence, mass amnesty for U.S. service members accused of war crimes sends a signal to our militaries and allies that we are not taking the law of armed conflict seriously. Bad news. Bad precedent. Abandonment of moral responsibility. Risk to us. #领导力
Under Trump's tweet that he intended to pardon Gallagler, netizens also expressed their position:
We salute our servicemen, but when they commit heinous war crimes, such as stabbing a teenage prisoner of war, then grabbing a corpse by the hair and lifting the head for a selfie, and having a re-enlistment ceremony with the corpse, it's disgusting.
That's what sets us apart from ISIS. We must not support or condone war crimes. When these things happen, we must hold our people accountable and bring them to justice. It would be inappropriate for the President of the United States to intervene in this matter. Let justice be done.
Here's a summary of the war crimes trump has been charged with indictments by those trump rushing to defend. You are innocent until you are proven guilty at trial, but the civilians who were shot and killed by him did not even get a trial.
Trump portrays himself as the president of the military, but critics say pardoning those accused of war crimes puts the military at risk. （via sky news）
And this is not the first military pardon this month, according to CNN, earlier this month, Trump pardoned former Army Lieutenant Michael Behenna. Behenna killed a suspect al-Qaeda terrorist captured in Iraq in 2009.
In addition to the military pardon, Trump pardoned former newspaper giant Conrad Black on the 15th of this month. The CBC reports:
Conrad Black's full pardon came a year after publishing his glowing biography, "Donald J. Trump: A President Like No Other." Conrad Black received a blanket pardon a year after publishing his passionate biography, Donald J. Trump: The One-of-a-Kind President. The onetime media baron was convicted of fraud and obstructing justice in a scheme blamed for taking down what was one of the world's biggest newspaper companies. Accused of plotting a plot to overthrow one of the world's largest newspaper companies. Until being bought out, Black partnered with Mr. Trump in building Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago. Prior to being acquired, Black partnered with Trump to build the Trump International Tower Chicago.
▲Meet Conrad Black — the convicted felon pardoned by Trump
(via CBC)
What do you think of Trump's series of pardons?
Text: YANMING
资料、图：CBC, Twitter, The Washington Post, Reuters, AP, usa today