An undated picture of U.S. Army Pfc. Kimberly Rivera. Amnesty International Photo
A previous version of this story reported Pfc. Kimberly Rivera will be sentenced in Ft. Collins, Colo., today. In fact, Rivera’s court martial begins today. She has not been convicted in the matter. USNI News regrets the error.
U.S. Army Pfc. Kimberly Rivera will face desertion charges on Monday prior to an expected court martial in Ft. Carson, Colo., according to a report in The Gazette of Colorado Springs.
In 2007, the mother of four fled to Canada rather than face a deployment to Iraq
Rivera fought a long and public struggle with Canadian officials over granting her and her family amnesty after their U.S. departure. She lost her fight and was arrested last year at the U.S. border and held at Ft. Drum, N.Y.
Rivera’s flight and battle to stay in Canada made international headlines garnering the support of Amnesty International and Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu.
Originally from Texas, Rivera served one deployment to Iraq in 2006 before she fled north. If convicted, Rivera could spend two to five years in prison.
