The lawyer for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was held prisoner for five years by the Taliban, is asking the Army to publicly release a transcript of Bergdahl's interview with military officials following his release in a controversial prisoner swap, saying it could help counteract negative publicity in the case, the AP reports. Bergdahl is facing military charges, including desertion, for leaving his post in Afghanistan in June 2009. He is facing his initial court appearance in the case starting Thursday at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, where he has been stationed since returning to the U.S. last year.

His attorney, Eugene Fidell, has asked the military to publicly release the transcript and a summary of an investigative report before or during the Article 32 hearing, saying it could help counteract negative publicity. Fidell said Bergdahl may not receive a fair trial "given the prolonged barrage of opprobrium that has been heaped upon him over the last year."

"Sgt. Bergdahl has been called every name in the book," Fidell wrote in the request, which he released to media outlets on Tuesday. "It is as if he had a target painted on him. It is preposterous for him not to be able to defend himself in the court of public opinion." You can read a full report here from AP reporter Juan Lozano in Houston.