Iraq war resister Kimberly Rivera ordered deported to U.S.
The first female U.S. war resister to flee to Canada has been ordered to leave the country.
American soldier Kimberly Rivera, who served in the Iraq War before arriving here with her family in 2007, received a written decision Thursday saying she will be removed from Canada to the U.S. and must leave by Sept. 20.
“They’re very upset,” said Michelle Robidoux, a spokesperson for the War Resisters Support Campaign, who was with Rivera, her husband and their four children when they were given the news.
In the U.S., “(Kim) faces a court martial and jail sentence, which, based on what other people have gotten, is a harsh jail sentence,” Robidoux said. “She will be separated from her family. Her husband suffers from a disability and he’s going to have four kids on his hands … . There are all kinds of very harsh consequences of this decision today.”
Two male resisters have already been deported from Canada and both faced a court martial and at least a year of military jail time in the U.S.
“There is evidence that people who speak out publicly against the war in Iraq are targeted for differential prosecution once they’re returned to the United States,” said Rivera’s lawyer, Alyssa Manning.
