1. United States
2. Iowa
3. Letter

As your constituent, I am writing to demand an immediate inquiry into the treatment of Air Force Maj. Jason Watson, and to ask that you press the Department of the Air Force and the Department of Defense to end his solitary confinement. According to Common Dreams, Maj. Watson was arrested July 1 on the steps of the U.S. Capitol after calling for the impeachment of President Trump. After an August 17 CNN interview, he was taken into pretrial confinement and moved to a county jail in Maryland. He faces court-martial. His attorney, Christopher Mutimer, told CNN that after nearly two months Maj. Watson was "still in solitary confinement 24 hours a day." Mutimer said that even when Watson gets an hour to eat or exercise, "he is alone," in a room where the light never turns off. He added that solitary confinement is usually reserved for people who are violent or disobedient, and then only for days or a week. Maj. Watson has not been convicted of anything. Article 13 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice forbids punishing a service member before trial and forbids pretrial restraint more rigorous than the circumstances require. Rachel VanLandingham, a former Air Force judge advocate and law professor, told Common Dreams this "seems to be a blatant case of illegal pretrial punishment." At his September 18 hearing, the hearing officer said Watson could not be held with civilians and was therefore kept in solitary, which raises the question of why he was placed in a civilian jail at all, when Common Dreams reports the base has its own confinement facility. Maj. Watson says he acted in keeping with his oath to the Constitution. Whatever one thinks of his protest, a person presumed innocent should not be isolated for months. I respectfully ask that you: 1 Request in writing that the Air Force and Department of Defense explain the legal basis for his solitary confinement and why alternatives were not used. 2 Call for his conditions to be reviewed immediately under Article 13. 3 Ask the Armed Services Committee to examine whether pretrial confinement is being used to punish or silence service members. 4 Respond to me in writing with the actions you take. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely 
A Concerned Constituent