Slav Defence
THINK TANK VICE CHAIRMAN: ANALYST
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On the night of March 11, 2012, sixteen Afghan civilians were shot and killed in the villages of Balandi and Alkozai near Camp BelambaOn March 24, U.S. Army investigators alleged that Bales was the only person responsible for the shootings and that the deaths were the result of two separate attacks. Investigators claimed that Bales returned to Camp Belambai after the first attack and that he left the camp an hour later to commit the second attack.
A senior military official said Bales had been drinking alcohol with two other soldiers on the night of the shootings, in violation of military rules in combat zones. According to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Bales acknowledged the killings and "told individuals what happened" immediately after being captured.Minutes later he refused to speak with investigators and asked for an attorney.[23][24] Bales' civilian attorney John Henry Browne, who also represented serial killer Ted Bundy, later said, "I don't know that the government is going to prove much. There's no forensic evidence. There's no confession." However, in May 2013, Browne reversed course, saying his client would confess to the massacre in return for avoiding the death penalty.In total, the massacre included nine children, some as young as two years old, and four women.
Detention
Bales was quickly transferred out of Afghanistan, stopping in Kuwait. The sudden transfer to Kuwait prompted a diplomatic uproar, as the Kuwaiti government heard about the Bales case from news reports before hearing from the U.S. government. "When they learned about it, the Kuwaitis blew a gasket and wanted him out of there", an unnamed official said.
On March 16, 2012, Bales was flown from Kuwait to the Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, a state-of-the-art, medium/minimum custody facility. According to U.S. Army Colonel James Hutton, Chief of Media Relations, Bales was being held in special housing in his own cell and was able to go outside the cell "for hygiene and recreational purposes." In October 2012 he was transferred to Northwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
On March 23, 2012, the U.S. government charged Bales with seventeen counts of murder, six counts of attempted murder, and six counts of assault.On June 1, the government dropped one of the murder charges, noting that one victim had been double counted. Simultaneously, other charges were filed including abuse of steroids, alcohol consumption, and attempting to destroy evidence. Assault charges were increased from six to seven.
-John Henry Browne defended Bales alongside military lawyers.[23][32] Browne was retained by the sergeant's family and has described Bales as "mild-mannered", and claims his client was upset after seeing a friend's leg blown off the day before the killings, but held no animosity toward Muslims. "I think the message for the public in general is that he's one of our boys and they need to treat him fairly." Browne has denied that the deadly rampage was caused by alcohol intoxication or marital problems and said that Bales was "reluctant to serve."According to Browne, Bales did not want to return to the front lines. Browne said, "He wasn't thrilled about going on another deployment ... he was told he wasn't going back, and then he was told he was going."Browne also criticized anonymous reports from government officials, stating "the government is going to want to blame this on an individual rather than blame it on the war.
Punishment
-At the sentencing hearing, defense attorneys argued for a sentence of life with the possibility of parole, arguing that he was a troubled man who snapped, not a "cold-blooded murderer". Bales took to the stand to issue an apology to his victims, saying he would bring them back to life if he could. The prosecution, seeking life without the possibility of parole, closed their arguments with: "In just a few short hours, Sgt. Bales wiped out generations. Sgt. Bales dares to ask you for mercy when he has shown none."On August 23, 2013, Bales was sentenced to life in prison without parole by a jury of six people. He was also demoted to Private (E-1), the lowest possible rank, dishonorably discharged, and ordered to forfeit all pay and benefits.A commanding general overseeing the court-martial has the option of reducing the sentence to life with the possibility of parole.Afghan villagers and the families of Bales' victims were upset by the decision, saying he deserved death.Bales is currently detained at Northwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
. When you call me and other Americans cowards I am bound to contradict you like you would do as a Pakistani if someone says the same about your country. Otherwise, my sympathies are there with Afghan people for the inhuman act this guy performed.
