Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl to face desertion charge in court martial

A US Army sergeant who was released by the Taliban in exchange for five former leaders of the militant group held at Guantanamo Bay will face a charge of desertion in a general court martial, his lawyer said.

Bowe Bergdahl’s lawyer Eugene Fidell said the convening authority, a high-ranking officer charged with deciding whether evidence warrants a court martial, did not follow the advice of a preliminary hearing officer, who had recommended Bergdahl’s case be moved to a special misdemeanour-level military court.