1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

Maj. Jason Watson has been held in solitary confinement 24 hours a day since August — not as punishment after a conviction, but as pretrial confinement while awaiting trial. That is a direct violation of Article 13 of the UCMJ, which prohibits pretrial confinement from being "any more rigorous than the circumstances require." I want you to demand an immediate investigation into his conditions and push for their end. Watson was arrested for standing on the Capitol steps with a sign calling for Trump's impeachment. That is political speech. The Air Force is now pursuing a general court-martial — the military's most serious trial level — partly under Article 88, a rarely invoked provision that criminalizes "contemptuous words" against the president. Using that statute to prosecute a service member for public political expression sets a dangerous precedent for every person in uniform who holds a conscience. The government told the public Watson "is presumed innocent and will be afforded all rights." Solitary confinement 24 hours a day is not affording him his rights. Please use your oversight authority to demand answers from the Air Force about why these conditions are necessary and whether they comply with the UCMJ.