A 15-member military jury sentenced Sgt. Hasan Akbar to death for killing 2 U.S. military officers in Kuwait in 2003 during the opening days of the Iraq invasion. At his sentencing, Akbar said, “I want to apologize for the attack that occurred. I felt that my life was in jeopardy, and I had no other options. I also want to ask you for forgiveness.” He is the first American since the Vietnam era to be prosecuted for murdering a fellow soldier in wartime. (N.Y. Times, April 29, 2005 (AP)).
No one has been executed under the military’s death penalty since 1961. There are 7 other soldiers facing possible execution, including two who have had their death sentences reversed on appeal. Seven of the eight (87%) soldiers now on death row are members of racial minorities.
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