Trial by media - US soldier face muder charges over Afghan massacre - there is always justification

I have been following the case about the US soldier that went on the rampage in Afghanistan. Even before it goes to trial, the Western media has started to influence the public as well as possibly the outcome of the trial by insinuating mental problems/stress/PTSD/ungratefulness of the Afghans etc. i.e. anything that could justify the murder of 17 people.


Let's not come to a conclusion based on hearsay and innuendos. Let the courts judge the accuse in a fair way. Below is a typical account of the incident by the BBC.

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Robert Bales to face murder charges over Afghan massacre (by BBC)

See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-17484186

(excerpts):...A US soldier suspected of killing civilians in Afghanistan will be charged with 17 counts of murder, US officials have told the BBC.


Staff Sgt Robert Bales is accused of attacking the villagers in their homes in Kandahar province on 11 March. Most victims were women and children.


Sgt Bales, 38, was later moved to a military prison in the US after being transported from Afghanistan to Kuwait.


He could face the death penalty if convicted.
'No evidence'


Sgt Bales would also be charged with six counts of assault and attempted murder, a US official told the BBC.


The soldier is the only known suspect in the killings - despite repeated Afghan assertions that more than one American was involved.

He is being held in solitary confinement at a military detention centre in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

His lawyer, who has played down reports that his client was drunk on the night of the killings, said earlier this week he remembers "very little" of the incident.

John Henry Brown also said there was "no forensic evidence" against Staff Sgt Robert Bales and "no confession".

The case has undermined US relations with Kabul and led to calls for Nato to speed up its planned withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

Sgt Bales' trial could take years, contrasting with Afghan demands for swift and decisive justice.

The Taliban called off peace talks in the wake of the deadly rampage......