Mistrial Declared In Court-Martial Of War Objector

FORT LEWIS, Wash. — A judge declared a mistrial yesterday in the court-martial of an Army lieutenant who refused to deploy to Iraq, saying the soldier did not fully understand a document he signed confessing to elements of the charges.

Prosecutors said First Lieutenant Ehren Watada confessed in the document that he had a duty to go to Iraq with his fellow soldiers. Lieutenant Watada, however, said he confessed only that he did not go to Iraq with his unit, not that he had a duty to go.

Military judge Lieutenant Colonel John Head granted prosecutors' request for a mistrial, which Lieutenant Watada's lawyer opposed. He set a March 12 date for a new trial and dismissed the jurors.