Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl finally faces military judge

U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was arraigned on Tuesday before a military judge to face charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy for disappearing in Afghanistan in 2009.

In October, military officials presiding at a hearing in the case recommended that Bergdahl should face a lesser “special court-martial” but should not have to serve a sentence in a military prison. The Pentagon’s inspector general on December 9, 2015, has told a House panel investigating the five Taliban Guantanamo Bay detainees released in exchange for Bergdahl that it found no evidence that a ransom was ever attempted or paid to secure the soldier’s release.

The move lit a firestorm of criticism, with some in Congress accusing President Barack Obama of jeopardising the safety of the country with the exchange.

Each week on “Speaking of Serial”, reporters with the Idaho Statesman and Boise State Public Radio will discuss Bergdahl’s case, Serial’s reporting and what happens when an Idahoan becomes the center of global news.

Three weeks after he was captured by the Taliban, the group released a 28-minute video that shows Bergdahl pleading for his release.

But he’s also accused of “misbehavior before the enemy”, a rarely-invoked charge in which prosecutors only have to prove that Bergdahl ” endanger[ed] fellow soldiers when he ‘left without authority; and wrongfully caused search and recovery operations, ‘”according to Military Times. Bergdahl spoke few words in response to the questions during that time, and mostly responded saying, “Sir, yes sir”. Bergdahl has defended his actions, alleging that he walked off base in order to bring attention to leadership issues that he felt were putting his unit in danger.

“I had this fantastic idea that I was going to prove to the world that I was the real thing”, Bergdahl said in the interview. “I was capable of being what I appeared to be”, Bergdahl said. Yet General Robert Abrams, head of the US Army Forces Command, eventually referred Bergdahl’s case to a general court-marital.

Copyright © The Associated Press. The latter offense carries a life sentence if he is convicted.