Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit

sent by David Swanson (activ-l) - Dec 28, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 28, 2006

Contacts:

Sarah Olson, Journalist: (415) 298-5573,
Dahr Jamail, Journalist: (206) 384-6601,
David Green, Attorney representing Sarah Olson: (510) 208-7744
Dan Siegel, Attorney representing Dahr Jamail: (510) 839-1200

Watada Case:

Journalists say free press threatened by Army subpoena

San Francisco, CA - In a move which threatens the First Amendment rights
of journalists, the U.S. Army has subpoenaed journalist Sarah Olson to
testify at the January 4 pre-trial hearing in the court-martial of Lt.
Ehren Watada. The Army placed another journalist, Dahr Jamail, on the
prosecution witness list.

Both journalists are fighting back, saying the Army's attempt to compel
their participation in the court-martial threatens press freedom and
chills free speech.

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Ehren Watada became the first commissioned officer to
refuse his orders to deploy to Iraq on June 22, 2006. In his upcoming
February court-martial Lt. Watada faces one charge of missing troop
movement, and four counts of conduct unbecoming an officer. Each of the
later four charges relates to Lt. Watada's public explanations of his
refusal to deploy to Iraq. If convicted of all charges Lt. Watada faces
six years in prison, four of which would be for speaking to the press.

Independent journalist Sarah Olson interviewed Lt. Watada last May. The
Army says statements Watada made during Olson's interview constitute one
charge of conduct unbecoming an officer, and wants Olson to verify those
statements in a military court. Olson says: "It's my job to report the
news, not to participate in a government prosecution. Testifying against
my source would turn the press into an investigative tool of the
government and chill dissenting voices in the United States."

Independent journalist Dahr Jamail reported on Lt. Watada's address to
the Veterans for Peace convention last August. The Army says it wants
him to authenticate his reporting of the event. Jamail says: "I don't
believe that reporters should be put in the position of having to
participate in a prosecution. This is particularly poignant in this
case, where journalists would be used to build a case against free
speech for military personnel."

The journalists say once the press is seen as the eyes and ears of the
government, dissenting voices are less likely to express themselves
publicly. A free and open exchange of ideas is the life-blood of
democracy, and it is in the public interest to have a free debate on
disparate views of current political issues.

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David Swanson
202-329-7847

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org Co-Founder
http://www.democrats.com Washington Director
http://www.pdamerica.org Board Member

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