Canadian Soldier Accused of Murder After Killing Insurgent
Robert Semrau held in military police custody
A Canadian Forces captain must now await a custody hearing after having his day in military court on January 6th.
At least one witness testified as seeing Capt. Robert Semrau, of the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment, shoot and kill a severely wounded and unarmed insurgent during an ambush in October.
The hearing will decide whether Semrau will be released until his trial, which isn’t expected until sometime after the summer.
This issue should ignite some heated debate across the country about whether this act can be considered a mercy killing or whether it is, in fact, murder.
It is reported that Semrau was commanding an Operational Mentor and Liaison Team on Oct. 19 in the Helmand province of Afghanistan when they, as well as Afghan soldiers, were ambushed. With help from American military helicopters the insurgents were fought off. After the air strike, Afghan soldiers moved in and found one Taliban fighter dead, along side another who was still armed but severely wounded. Once disarmed, it was determined that the insurgent’s wounds were “too severe for any type of treatment.”
The Canadian team than photographed the two Taliban. “Capt. Semrau was observed to be the only person in proximity to the severely wounded insurgent. During this period, two shots were heard and at least one witness reports that he saw Capt. Semrau firing his rifle at the severely wounded insurgent,” according to the statement read to the court by Maj. Marylene Trudel.
Regardless of the opinions held by Canadians, the Canadian Military believes that this act constitutes murder, and as such Capt. Semrau has been charged with one count of second-degree murder.
Throughout all of this, it’s important to remember that these men and women are overseas representing our country. A country that is held in honour the world over and news of this macabre attack could damage that reputation.
Remember the Abu-Ghraib prison case? Where acts of abuse, torture, sodomy, and homicide of prisoners were committed by members of the United States Army.
It’s disturbing to read that such abuse of authority is continuing in countries where the faith in human nature is already quite shaken.
Related posts:
- 127th Canadian Soldier Killed in Afghanistan One hundred and twenty-seven soldiers dead. That’s the causality count...
- Canada’s Afghan Mission Continues to Raise Serious Questions About Whether we are Part of the Solution or Part of the Problem Disturbing allegations regarding the treatment of Taliban prisoners captured by...
- The Canadian Goverment Needs to do More for our Military Than Just Remember on Remembrance Day Now seeing as Remembrance Day has come and gone, it...
- Canada’s Top Commander Jonathan Vance Voices Concerns About The Afghan Mission Brigadier-General Jonathon Vance, Canada’s commander in Afghanistan, has been the...
Tags: afghanistan, insurgent, murder, robert semrau, taliban
Loading ...
January 7th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
If it’s found that the insurgent he killed was in fact unarmed and wounded and posed no threat to the soldiers, this should be considered an act of murder.
January 9th, 2009 at 2:11 am
If someone jumps off a cliff and is falling thousands of feet to their death in the rocks below, and you shoot them as they are falling and kill them in midair, is it murder? Or did you only accelerate the inevitable. He was beyond healable and was going to die really soon. Was it cold blooded murder, or was he putting the insurgent out of his misery and taking the pain away?
March 24th, 2010 at 9:52 am
Is killing a Taliban member really murder or a civil duty? Do you think the Taliban has hearings after they shoot and kill our soldiers? Let the soldier go, he done good.