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People were asking what had happened with this....
He lost.
U.S. army deserter loses bid for refugee status
CTV.ca News Staff
The Immigration and Refugee Board has denied refugee status to Jeremy Hinzman, the U.S. soldier who fled to Canada to avoid the war in Iraq.
Hinzman, 26, fled military service because he calls the Iraq war illegal. The U.S. army has declared him AWOL: absent without leave.
Hinzman had been seeking political refugee status in Canada, arguing that he would be jailed if he returned to the U.S. and his life would be in danger.
He will now likely be deported to the United States and prosecuted as a deserter.
Deserters from countries with compulsory military service have been granted refugee status in Canada. But since Hinzman volunteered for military service, this case was considered different.
If he is granted refugee status, some critics have said it could open the door for even more U.S. deserters to arrive in Canada.
Hinzman joined the army in 2001 and trained as a paratrooper. He said he signed up at his father's urging because it allowed him to receive a university education.
But he says his thinking changed after going through combat training, in which he claims he was ordered to chant, "Trained to kill and kill we will." He says that's when realized he had problems with "taking human life."
By August 2002, the practising Buddhist applied to be a conscientious objector -- meaning his personal beliefs prevented him from participating in war.
His application was turned down and he was given orders to ship out to Iraq in late 2003. That's when he fled his North Carolina base and headed for Canada with his wife and toddler son, Liam.
Hinzman's wife, Nga Nguyen, is also seeking asylum.
The Immigration and Refugee Board's ruling is expected Thursday afternoon.
CTV.ca News Staff
The Immigration and Refugee Board has denied refugee status to Jeremy Hinzman, the U.S. soldier who fled to Canada to avoid the war in Iraq.
Hinzman, 26, fled military service because he calls the Iraq war illegal. The U.S. army has declared him AWOL: absent without leave.
Hinzman had been seeking political refugee status in Canada, arguing that he would be jailed if he returned to the U.S. and his life would be in danger.
He will now likely be deported to the United States and prosecuted as a deserter.
Deserters from countries with compulsory military service have been granted refugee status in Canada. But since Hinzman volunteered for military service, this case was considered different.
If he is granted refugee status, some critics have said it could open the door for even more U.S. deserters to arrive in Canada.
Hinzman joined the army in 2001 and trained as a paratrooper. He said he signed up at his father's urging because it allowed him to receive a university education.
But he says his thinking changed after going through combat training, in which he claims he was ordered to chant, "Trained to kill and kill we will." He says that's when realized he had problems with "taking human life."
By August 2002, the practising Buddhist applied to be a conscientious objector -- meaning his personal beliefs prevented him from participating in war.
His application was turned down and he was given orders to ship out to Iraq in late 2003. That's when he fled his North Carolina base and headed for Canada with his wife and toddler son, Liam.
Hinzman's wife, Nga Nguyen, is also seeking asylum.
The Immigration and Refugee Board's ruling is expected Thursday afternoon.
He lost.
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