Kyle Snyder (soldier)

Kyle Snyder (born 1983) is a Private First Class and combat engineer with the 94th Engineers based at Fort Leonard Wood, who deserted his Army unit while on mid-tour leave from Iraq and fled to Canada. His application for refugee status in Canada was deniedFact|date=May 2007.

Childhood

Snyder spent most of his teenage years in foster care in Colorado after his parents divorced.

Enlistment

Snyder enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2004 one year after the war in Iraq had started. Prior to his deployment to Iraq, he requested a discharge through his chain of command "for medical reasons of manic depression." [http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/11/03/1431228] While on mid-tour leave from Iraq in 2005, Snyder deserted the Army.

On October 31 2006 PFC Snyder held a press conference prior to turning himself in to the US Army at Fort Knox. Later, he claims the Army reneged on its promise, and so he deserted again. [http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/content/blogcategory/20/34/]

Arrest in Canada

On February 23, 2007, Snyder was arrested by local police in the town of Nelson, British Columbiacite web
url=http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2007/02/28/deserter-arrested.html?ref=rss
title=U.S. deserter, wearing only briefs, detained in Nelson
date=February 28, 2007
accessdate=May q2|accessyear=2007
publisher=CBC] [http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=e11202e3-fa5a-461b-9c26-d18224f6156a] , then released when Citizenship and Immigration Canada informed the police they had no legal basis for arresting him.cite web
url=http://www.vvaw.org/press/?id=686
title=Iraq War Resister Kyle Snyder Arrested in Canada, then Released: U.S. Army Requested the Illegal Apprehension
author=Condon, Gerry
date=February 28, 2007
accessdate=May 02|accessyear=2007
publisher=Vietnam Veterans Against the War] . The decision to arrest came after information from an undisclosed source prompted the Nelson City Police to contact the Canada Border Services Agency who, according to Nelson Police Chief Constable Dan Maluta "said yes, we believe he is illegally in Canada and arrestable under the Immigration Act"Sara Newham. "Police had other 'source' to trigger arrest: ARMY DESERTER: Questions still remain about what initiated the arrest of American Kyle Snyder last week by NCP", Nelson Daily News. Nelson, B.C.: Mar 2, 2007. p. 1.Front] . Maluta acknowledged that the immigration agency was not their "original source" for information on Snyder, and Snyder reported that Josie Perry, the Canadian immigration official who ordered his release, had said that the arrest had been conducted at the behest of officials from the U.S. Armycite web
url=http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/05/03/awol_in_canada/
title=Northern exposure
author=Gregory Levey
accessdate=May 12|accessyear=2007
publisher=Salon.com] . A witness to the arrest reported that at the time of the arrest, the two officers said they did not have a warrant but could get one if necessarySara Newham "U.S. Army Deserter Arrested: THE WAR IN IRAQ: American who has sought refuge in Nelson facing immigration hearing after arrest last week by Nelson City Police officers", Nelson Daily News. Nelson, B.C.: Feb 28, 2007. pg. 1.Front] . Maluta confirmed that they did not have a Feeney warrant that would have allowed them into the home.

Members of Parliament Bill Siksay and Alex Atamanenko have called for an official probe into the arrest [http://action.web.ca/home/billsiksay/en_issues.shtml?x=98602&AA_EX_Session=70cd9ff8ecdf0433acc632fb9e56516f] [http://www.atamanenko.ca/page/126] . Chief Constable Dan Maluta has said that his police forces' actions will be investigated by the Abbotsford police, whose chief will have the authority to take disciplinary action.cite web
url=http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2007/03/28/us-deserter.html
title=NDP calls for Ottawa to probe U.S. deserter's arrest
date=March 28, 2007
accessdate=May 12|accessyear=2007
publisher=CBC]

Snyder's lawyer is James Fennerty of Chicago.cite web
url=http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/content/view/128/34/
title=Kyle Snyder, Iraq veteran and war resister, turns self in to Ft. Knox
date=October 31, 2006
accessdate=May 02|accessyear=2007
publisher=Courage To Resist]

ee also

*List of Iraq War Resisters

References

External links

* [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0703/26/acd.02.html CNN AC360 transcript of interview]
* [http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/05/03/awol_in_canada/index_np.html Salon.com] / [http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,480740,00.html Der Spiegel] article on arrest
* [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070301.BCDESERTER01/TPStory/National Globe and Mail article on arrest]
* [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2007/02/28/deserter-arrested.html?ref=rss CBC article on arrest]
* [http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/Kaufmann_Bill/2007/03/23/3812382.html Calgary Sun article on arrest]
* [http://www.thestar.com/article/195243 Toronto Star article on arrest]
* [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2007/03/28/us-deserter.html CBC article on MPs call for probe into arrest]