In February, WikiLeaks revealed that it would be holding a press conference in the US to expose a classified US military video showing the murder of civilians - sparking a camapign of harassment by US authorities. But despite that campaign, they have delivered - and the video shows exactly what they say it shows. In fact it shows more - because the civilians in question include Reuters news staff Namir Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh. The US military had claimed their deaths occurred during a firefight with "insurgents". The video shows that to be a lie. Instead it was, as Iraqi witnesses claimed, a random bombardment by US helicopters. Bored and paranoid pilots seem to have seen a group of men, assumed they were hostile, and killed them - then slaughtered the people who turned up to take them to hospital.
This isn't "collateral damage" or a "tragic mistake" - it is murder. And those responsible should be prosecuted for it. But we all know how good the US military is at holding its own to account. If you're gay, they'll kick you out. But if you murder a bunch of civilians, they'll cover for you until the end of the world. As with the Catholic Church, the US military regards its dignity and reputation as more important than decency and justice.
