War resister may appeal

TORONTO—The lawyer for an American soldier who fled to Canada to avoid the Iraq war said Kimberly Rivera is considering appealing a ruling that would have her deported to the U.S.
Alyssa Manning said her client may challenge the order on the grounds that there were legal errors in Rivera’s pre-removal risk assessment.

The federal government told Rivera yesterday that she must leave Canada by Sept. 20.
At a news conference today, Rivera asked the government to delay her deportation while another application, this one on humanitarian compassionate grounds, still is being weighed.
The War Resisters Support Campaign is calling on Immigration minister Jason Kenney to let Rivera, her husband, and their four young children stay in Canada.
Rivera, the first female U.S. war resister, fled to Canada in 2007 to avoid further military service.
She initially had arrived while on leave but then applied for refugee status.
The War Resisters Support Campaign said she will face harsh penalties if deported to the U.S.
A spokeswoman for Kenney said in an e-mail that the federal government does not believe the U.S. subjects its soldiers to persecution.
But the group said two other Iraq war resisters who were deported, Robin Long and Clifford Cornell, faced year-long jail sentences upon their return.