RH Reality Check: Federal Lawsuit Seeks Removal of U.S. Naval Academy Superintendent From Rape Case
Protect Our Defenders President Nancy Parrish is featured in this RH Reality Check article:
As reported by RH Reality Check‘s Adele Stan, during the Article 32 hearing on her allegations, the victim was subjected to more than than 30 hours of cross examination by 12 defense attorneys that included degrading questions about her sexual history. Article 32 hearings are the military’s equivalent of a grand jury proceeding; the kinds of questions directed at the victim would have been prohibited in a civilian proceeding. Additionally, her attorney has been prevented from participating to protect her rights, by being shut out of the Article 32 process. According to the lawsuit, these actions, as well as comments Miller made to returning midshipmen that the administration was unhappy about the negative publicity the case has generated for the Naval Academy, has made it difficult for the victim to press ahead with her case.
“The victim in the U.S. Naval Academy case has faced an unconscionable attack on her character and her dignity,” said Nancy Parrish, president of Protect Our Defenders, a human rights organization advocating on behalf of service members who have been sexually assaulted in the military, in a statement in connection with the filing of the lawsuit. “She has been re-victimized through obvious attempts to intimidate and silence her. She has again been victimized by a judicial system that, at its core, is fundamentally broken. Anyone observing this case would have to wonder, who is really on trial here?” Parrish added, “The fact that it required a pro bono civilian attorney to instigate any real action by the academy is indicative of the utter failure of the military justice system.“
