Black US Soldier Demands Political Asylum In Germany – SPC. Andre Shepherd
Andre Shepherd:
“It is perhaps fitting that I am applying for asylum here. The Nürnburg trials established that a person cannot defend his or her actions by explaining that they had simply been following orders. If I had stayed in the U.S. Army and continued to participate in the atrocities caused by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I could not argue that I was just doing my job. It is here in Germany that the law was established that everyone, even a soldier, must take responsibility for their actions, no matter how many superiors are giving orders.
There have been many Germans who have called the war in Iraq illegal and immoral. It would be logical to suggest then that soldiers participating in these wars are also doing something illegal and immoral. It is inconceivable of me to participate in the wanton destruction of life and property for the good of a few.”
“Es passt vielleicht, dass ich gerade in Deutschland Asyl beantrage, dem Land, in dem vor 60 Jahren die Nürnberger Prozesse begannen. Eines der wichtigsten Prinzipien, auf die diese Verfahren sich stützten, war, dass niemand sein Handeln damit rechtfertigen kann, er habe lediglich Befehle befolgt. Wenn ich in der US-Armee geblieben wäre und weiter an den Kriegen in Irak und Afghanistan teilgenommen hätte, könnte ich nicht rechtmäßig argumentieren, ich hätte nur meinen Job gemacht. Hier in Deutschland wurde festgestellt, dass jede und jeder, auch eine Soldatin oder ein Soldat, die Verantwortung für ihre und seine Handlungen übernehmen muss, ganz gleich, wie viele Vorgesetzte die Befehle dazu gegeben haben.
Es gibt viele Deutsche, die die Kriege im Irak und in Afghanistan rechtswidrig und unmoralisch nennen. Es ist nur logisch, daraus zu folgern, dass die an diesen Kriegen beteiligten Soldaten ebenfalls rechtswidrig und unmoralisch handeln. Die Frage ist nun, ob Deutschland den Soldatinnen und Soldaten, die sich diesen Kriegen verweigern, zur Seite stehen und Asyl gewähren wird.”
Duration : 0:6:13
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The reality of his …
The reality of his case is that he joined the Army and lived the good life in Germany, bars, German women ect. When it came time for him to leave it behind for Iraq then he became a conscientious objector. Same sh*t different person! If the Army had not called on him to redeploy to Iraq do you really think we would be hearing him speak now? I hope he is somewhere reading this.. if I see him in Regensburg (I am in Germany too) I will make sure he meets up with some MP’s, no question about it!
give this man a …
give this man a beer!
damn traitor
traitor
you are from …
you are from netherlands man -.-
Are u kidding man? …
Are u kidding man? Asking Naziz for Support? Thats a jooooke
I am a German and I …
I am a German and I would be proud to serve in the United States Army. This traitor should be punished.
Turn the page man. …
Turn the page man. He doesn’t support these wars and neither should you. Stay on point. Let’s hear your justification for the slaughter and all of the crimes that have been committed. Don’t forget to factor in all of the US Soldiers and innocent civilians who have be killed and/or injured. Their lives have been destroyed. Not only have you turned a blind eye to reality, you follow them blindly. Wake up troop. Smell the coffee.
I’m very proud of …
I’m very proud of this soldier! Our country should provide shelter for him! A very courageous man…
SnuffGunnion, you …
SnuffGunnion, you are using sensationalism. First of all, no good Commander would ever order his troops to Torture, Murder or Rape anyone. To torture, murder or rape is illeagal under US military policies. And I agree with you, individuals that do these horrible crimes should face the penalties for their actions. And yes you are right it does happen unfortunately.
And your point is? …
And your point is? That American Soldiers like Spc Shepard need to enlist during a time of war when we have troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and then go AWOL as soon as they get ready to deploy and screw over the units they trained with. This is not the right way to be active against a war.
SnuffGunnion,
I …
SnuffGunnion,
I havent turned a bind eye to anything. Spc Shepard had 2 years and 3 months before he received deployment orders again after coming back from Iraq the first time. During those 2 years and 3 months he enjoyed Germany and Collected an US Army Paycheck. And guess what, he was just riding his enlistment out turning a blind eye buddy. He just so happened to get orders to redeploy and it affected him, so he is doing this now.
Just because you …
Just because you were an “obedient” soldier does not give you the right to castigate those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for speaking out. They have become the targets of insane and assanine attacks. All of that “My Country, Right or Wrong” is just nonsense. What would it take for you to gather up enough nerve and tell the truth about this war?
As a Viet Nam …
As a Viet Nam Veteran I also know the horrors of war and I know what it takes to step up and do the right thing and not go along with the flow. Many of my fellows soldiers rebelled against a corrupt system and helped to bring the Viet Nam war to a close.
SPC Shepherd has …
SPC Shepherd has every right to follow his conscience. This war was started on a lie and continues to be a crime against humanity. Every soldier has the responsibility to uphold the law of the land and the tenets of humanity. Torture, murder & rape are not condoned under any circumstances. Too much of that has go on and yes soldiers like you have turned a blind eye to the facts.
SPC Shepard, I went …
SPC Shepard, I went to the bars with you in Germany, served in Iraq with you. In the military you have to be a postive presence and a positive influence. Some soldiers do the wrong thing and you cant help that. I was stopped lossed for 348 days during this last deployment, I didnt like it but I deployed to support my brothers in arms to make sure that I had a positive influence to bring them back home alive. You could have done this fiasco in Feb 05when you came back from Iraq.
How should he have …
How should he have known what’s going on there and that he would find out that he was in an illegal war?
Why should he act against his conscience now?
I hope Germany will grant him asylum, because one should not be punished for his conscience.
But he didn’t know …
But he didn’t know he would be sent to do illegal things. The ones who sent him to Iraq should be in prison!
I don’t know why …
I don’t know why the title of this vid mentioned his colour. Everyone has their rights to voice their opinions as does this man but he signed up then deserted so he should be extradited back to the USA, if he wanted out of the army he should have done his tour then resigned or bought out.
he accepted the …
he accepted the bigger truth
When enlisting and …
When enlisting and cannot be a man to face it
he should have …
he should have never enlisted in the first place he knew the penalty for desertion and should be in prison