From the ABC

Soldier jailed for refusing orders to go to Iraq
A British Air Force doctor who refused to go to Iraq was found guilty of disobeying orders by a court martial, and sentenced to eight months in jail.

Australian-born Malcolm Kendall-Smith refused to go to Iraq in 2005, arguing the war was a crime.

He said he considered the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 as being "on a par with Nazi Germany".

The judge ruled that the British presence in Iraq was legal and told the five-officer panel acting as a jury to ignore the officer's arguments.

The case is the first of its kind in Britain over the war in Iraq.

Kendall-Smith sat motionless as the president of the panel pronounced him guilty of five counts, one for refusing to go to Iraq and four for refusing to train and prepare.

As well as the sentence of eight months in jail, the panel also ruled Kendall-Smith will be dismissed from the RAF.

Kendall-Smith's lawyer Philip Sapsford had described him to the court as "a man of great moral courage".

Kendall-Smith holds both British and New Zealand citizenship.

The judge ruled that orders for British troops to deploy to Iraq in 2005 were legal because the British presence was covered by a United Nations Security Council resolution passed after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Kendall-Smith's case attracted the interest of anti-war campaigners, who claimed his views merely reflected a growing body of opinion across Britain that the war was illegal and unjustified.

Read more at the ABC
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Gus Congratulates Kendall-Smith for his refusal to participate in an illegal war. He deserves a medal not a prison sentence. The Porkyist Blair wants to hide his horrid mistake in Iraq... He makes those who expose his bad deed pay for it... Our thoughts are with you Malcom.

A Nation Blind
To Its Disgrace