On February 26, 2015, in Shepherd v. Bundesrepublik Deutschland, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that under certain conditions third-country nationals may be granted asylum in Europe if they are in fear of persecution for refusing to perform military service that could result in the commission of war crimes. According to the press release, Andre Shepherd, a U.S. Army helicopter mechanic refused to return to Iraq in 2007 after being on duty from 2004-2005 “believing that he must no longer play any part in a war in Iraq he considered illegal, and in the war crimes that were, in his view, committed there.” He applied for asylum in Germany and the courts referred the matter to the CJEU for a preliminary ruling. Reviewing the case under the legal requirements of the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and Council Directive 2004/83, the CJEU noted that in making the determination regarding whether such persons could claim asylum in Europe, it would consider factors such as whether the military action was authorized by the U.N. Security Council and whether the home state of the applicant has “courts which ensure the effective punishment of those who commit crimes.” Moreover, the applicant would need to show that it was highly likely that war crimes would be committed; “that, by the performance of his tasks, he would provide indispensable support” to the execution of war crimes; and refusal “constitute[d] the only means by which the applicant for refugee status could avoid participating in alleged war crimes.” The CJEU left the final decision in Shepherd’s case to Germany.