Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia was convicted of desertion and sentenced to a year in prison by a military count in Ft. Stewart Ga. on May 20 for following his conscience and refusing to take part in what he charges has become a "war for oil" in Iraq. Mejia pleaded not guilty to desertion. The judge refused to allow any evidence about the legality of the war on Iraq to be presented in court, gutting the defense teams arguments. Mejia has stated that while in Iraq he witnessed maltreatment of Iraqi prisoners—including mock firing squads—the killing of children and he saw inexperienced officers putting troops in unnecessary danger to promote their own career.

"Sgt. Mejia followed the Geneva Conventions by refusing to go back to Iraq and commit atrocities, yet he was given the same sentence for following his conscience that Jeremy Sivits got for torturing Iraqis. Mejia should be given a medal of honor not a prison sentence!" said Medea Benjamin, co founder of Code Pink and the international human rights group Global Exchange, who has been assisting Mejia's family. "The larger picture is that both Sivits and Mejia are victims of an administration that put them both in the middle of an unjust war that was initiated through lies and deception."

Sgt. Mejia received a year in jail and a bad conduct discharge, but his family are standing by him and will continue to speak out against a war that he found increasingly immoral and unethical. "There comes a point when you have to realize there is a difference between being a soldier and being a human being," said Mejia recently. New York Times columnist Bob Herbert stated in an article written before the conviction, "Whatever the outcome of Sgt. Mejia's court-martial, he has made a contribution to the truth about Iraq."

Sgt. Mejia was regarded as an exemplary and popular sergeant with soldiers under his command. After serving in Iraq Sgt. Mejia came back to the United States and left his unit after a two week leave. In March he turned himself in as a conscientious objector, but was arrested for desertion. Mejia's attorney and legal commentators assert that if his conscientious objector application is true he had the authority under international law to "absent" himself from committing crimes against humanity.

Mejia is backed by, among others Fernando Suarez del Solar, the father of Jesus Suarez del Solar a soldier slain in Iraq. "We must realize that Camilo Mejia has chosen the most patriotic and valorous path to defend the United States. I say let us support Camilo Mejia, who is a true hero."

Sgt. Mejia's family members are available for comment. Please contact Medea Benjamin at 415 235 6517. ###