Unfortunate to say the least. It is hard to comment on this, other than I truly hope that justice is being served and the Australian government can help to commute the sentence. This kind of deal is one of those things where you had to be there, in order to understand the dynamics. Was there an ambush, or was Langdon trying to cover up a killing? Did he shoot this individual out of self defense, or what?
What I can do is highlight the fact that just because this man was a contractor, does not make him a criminal or instantly label him guilty. It’s too bad that most folks out there, who call themselves human rights activists, seem to be pretty quite when folks in my industry get screwed over by less than perfect legal systems.
In final, the Afghanis will do whatever they want with this case, and Langdon is at their mercy. If any readers have anything to add, feel free to do so in the comments section. Also check out this article that shows the high level negotiations going on between the governments about this.-Matt
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Australian Sentenced to Death in Afghanistan
January 27, 2010
SYDNEY (AP) — An Australian security contractor has been sentenced to death in Afghanistan for fatally shooting an Afghan colleague and trying to blame the slaying on the Taliban, Australian and Afghan officials said Wednesday.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said his government would try to prevent the former Australian soldier from being executed — an act that could raise tensions between Afghanistan and its largest non-NATO contributor of international security forces.
Australia strongly opposes the death penalty and regularly lobbies governments to commute the sentences of Australians convicted abroad of capital crimes.
Australian Robert William Langdon, 38, was convicted of murder and sentenced to death last October in a court in Kabul, and an appeals court upheld the verdict last week, Australian officials said Wednesday. They were confirming a media report Wednesday that detailed the case for the first time.
The Australian newspaper reported that Langdon was working for U.S.-based private security company Four Horsemen International and had admitted killing the Afghan guard last May during a heated argument about security for a convoy.
The newspaper said the convoy was ambushed by suspected Taliban in Wardak province south of Kabul but escaped to the provincial capital, where the two men argued about whether to continue.