A post shared on Facebook claims the American Red Cross purportedly told the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps to “halt military tribunals and executions.”

Verdict: False

The claim is false and stems from a Feb. 16 article published on the satire site “Real Raw News.” Spokespersons for the American Red Cross and the U.S. Navy JAG Corps denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.

Fact Check:

The American Red Cross and FOX43 will host a blood drive on Mar. 14 in York, Pennsylvania, according to a recent article from the outlet. The event follows the organization’s plea for blood donations amid potential disruptions as a result of winter weather, WSIU reported.

“The American Red Cross tells Judge Advocate General (JAG) to halt military tribunals and executions!” the Facebook post purports. The post does not provide a source to support its claim.

The claim is false and stems from a Feb. 16 article published on the satire site “Real Raw News.” A “Disclaimer” included on the site’s “About Us” page indicates its content is not meant to be taken literally. “Information on this website is for informational and educational and entertainment purposes. This website contains humor, parody, and satire. We have included this disclaimer for our protection, on the advice on legal counsel,” the disclaimer reads.

According to the Real Raw News article, the U.S. Navy JAG Corps purportedly received a letter at its Pensacola, Florida office from American Red Cross CEO Gail McGovern calling for the Corps to “immediately cease extrajudicial tribunals and halt human rights abuses against persons detained unlawfully at Guantanamo Bay.”

In addition, McGovern allegedly accused the Corps of “‘rigging’ proceedings in a manner that either outright denies defendants a right to legal representation or ‘stacks the deck’ against them with manufactured evidence, hearsay, and panel members who are ordered to deliver guilty verdicts resulting in ‘inhumane’ executions” via the same letter. (RELATED: Claim That JAG Purportedly Hanged WHO Official Is Satire)

Likewise, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports supporting the claim. In fact, the opposite is true. Lead Stories labeled the claim as satirical in a Feb. 22 article. Furthermore, neither the American Red Cross nor the U.S. Navy JAG Corps has publicly commented on the claim.

A spokesperson for the American Red Cross labeled the claim as false in an email to Check Your Fact.
“No individual from the American Red Cross has sent a letter to U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps office in Pensacola, Florida and therefore all claims about and/or in the letter are false. Erroneous claims and incendiary misinformation can have very real consequences on the ability to provide humanitarian aid. We encourage the public to verify what they see, read and hear before sharing,” the spokesperson said.
Patricia Babb, a spokesperson for the U.S. Navy JAG Corps, also denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.

“This is not true,” Babb said of the claim.