GATINEAU, Que. - A cellphone video of the victim of an alleged battlefield execution in Afghanistan was shown at an unprecedented court martial of a Canadian soldier.
The 10-minute video, shot by a soldier in the Afghan National Army, shows a bearded, motionless man covered up to his chest in a light blue blanket.
When an Afghan soldier partially pulls back the blanket, one of the victim's legs is seen to be all but severed above the ankle, although no other wounds are visible.
Capt. Robert Semrau, 36, is charged with second-degree murder for allegedly firing two shots into the man from close range shortly after the video was taken in October 2008.
The grainy images show no signs of life from the alleged victim, nor do they show any efforts at medical care, nor Afghan soldiers kicking sand on him as has been testified in court.
The video also calls into dispute testimony that a fierce firefight was underway at the time, as Afghan and Canadian soldiers are seen standing upright in an open field seemingly at ease for several minutes.
Cpl. Steven Fournier, one of the key prosecution witnesses, is set to testify about the events surrounding the video and what he saw take place after the camera was shut off.
Fournier was Semrau's junior partner in their four-man Operation Mentor Liaison Team, which was helping guide the Afghan National Army troops during an operation in Helmand province.
Earlier Monday at the court martial, Fournier had testified about the field medicine course he had taken in preparation for working on the liaison team, and the way it applied to the Canadian Forces' code of conduct. The injured were to be treated starting with the most badly wounded first, regardless of whether friend or foe.
"It was very clear cut," Fournier told the court martial. "It didn't matter who it was, you treat him the same as everybody else."
Fournier also described a relationship with Semrau, his superior officer, that went beyond the purely professional.
"He wasn't just a captain," said Fournier, who described not only professional development help from Semrau but also time spent watching movies and playing computer games.
