Hancock 17 Drone War Crimes Resisters Trial Continues Friday, January 24

January 24, 2014

International Law Expert Francis Boyle Hopes to Testify

Contacts:

The Hancock 17 Drone War Crimes Resisters trial which began January 3, 2014 resumed today, January 23 and will continue through Friday, January 24 at the Town of DeWitt Court, 5400 Butternut Drive, East Syracuse, NY. Court begins at 5:00 pm. More than 50 people attended the trial this evening, fascinated with pro se defense, the process whereby engaged citizens can represent their own concerns in a court of law.

The Hancock 17 are on trial for having symbolically blocked the three gates at Hancock Air National Guard Base on October 25, 2012. They called for an end to drone warfare and read a Citizen's War Crimes Indictment at Hancock, from which MQ9 Reaper drones are piloted over Afghanistan and where MQ9 Reaper pilots, sensor operators and technicians are trained. They were charged with Trespass and Disorderly Conduct (both violations) and were issued Orders of Protection for Col. Earl Evans, requiring them to stay away from his place of work (Hancock Air Base), thereby greatly limiting their freedom of speech.

Today, the Prosecution rested after the last four law enforcement officers testified. One defendant saw her charges dropped because there was no one present to identify her. The defendants have requested that Francis Boyle, an International Law expert, testify on Skype about the relevance of international law to the lower courts. The judge has taken it under consideration and he may be allowed to testify around 5:30 or 6:00 pm Friday evening.

Three defendants testified this evening. Elliott Adams, past president of Veterans for Peace, testified as a descendant of Revolutionary War veterans, stating that it is our right and our obligation to uphold International Law as prescribed by Article 6 of the United States Constitution. Dan Burgevin, an Ithaca artist who painted the banners held by the defendants spoke with eloquence and humility of the pain and suffering of the children living under drones. Mark Colville, a Catholic Worker from New Haven

Connecticut, identified a photo of himself holding a poster that said "Drones = War Crimes", and said those words accurately reflected his intention for protesting at Hancock Base.

The defendants are a part of Upstate NY Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars, which seeks to educate the public and Hancock Air Base personnel about the war crimes perpetrated in Afghanistan with the MQ9 Reaper Drone piloted from Hancock Air National Guard Base. See www.upstatedroneaction.org .