Hearing set for GI seeking political asylum

Hearing set for GI seeking political asylum
By Kevin Dougherty, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Nearly two months after he petitioned the German government for political asylum, a U.S. soldier was informed this week that his first formal hearing with an immigration official will occur early next month.

For Army Spc. André L. Shepherd, the meeting will provide the opportunity to explain to a representative of the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees why he wants asylum. Shepherd’s attorney, Reinhard Marx, confirmed the hearing is scheduled for Feb. 4 in Karlsruhe. The session is not open to the public.

"This is a major phase of the whole procedure," Marx said. "He will have the chance to express his motivation for seeking asylum."

Shepherd, a helicopter mechanic assigned to the 412th Aviation Support Battalion, headquartered in Katterbach, Germany, filed his petition Nov. 26. He publicly announced his decision the following day.

In his petition, Shepherd cited a European Union directive on standards and procedures for granting refugee status. It instructs member states to consider a candidate for refugee status "persecuted" if, in the course of military service, he or she is required to perform criminal acts.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=60121

Somehow I doubt SPC Shepherd has been required to violate Army and FAA regulations regarding the maintenance of Army aircraft.
If he has, there is a whole different process for pursuing that which has nothing to do with "refugee status".