Advocates of the 15 al-Qaeda suspects on trial for several terrorist operations announced their withdrawal from the case due to concerns over the fairness of the tribunal.
The prosecution charges the suspected terrorists with blowing up the French oil tanker Limburg in Mukalla in October 2002, carrying out several bombings in Sanaâa, killing a soldier, and plotting to blow up the US, UK, French, German and Cuban embassies in Sanaâa as well as plotting to kill the US ambassador to Yemen, Edmund Hull.
| Bloodthirsty little fellow, aren't they? |
Advocates Mohammed Allawo, Abdulaziz al-Samawi, Khalid al-Anisi and Mahdi Tarah announced in a press statement that they were resigning from the defense of the suspects as âthere is no minimum insurance for a fair tribunal as the advocacy found itself dealing with a stateâs security court that does not have any insurance for justice like any other courts.â
| "We just don't think they're gonna give 'em a good talking-to and let 'em go. They might get jug time..." |
âTo avoid being used only as puppets to decorate and legitimize a tribunal that is false and weak and meant to cover the violations and abuses of the freedom and rights of those suspects over four years at the hands of the Political Security Organization (PSO) and prosecution, we announce our withdrawal from this case to stress our respect for our profession and ethics,â the statement said.
The Sanaâa Criminal Court Concerned with Terrorism and Kidnapping held on Monday its third hearing, but the advocates did not attend. The court judge Ahmad al-Jermuzi decided to postpone the trial until next Saturday, asking the suspects to appoint an advocate each. The hearing continued for less than 15 minutes. Journalists were not allowed to attend the session, stopped by security men outside the court building. Advocate Mohammed Allawo attended later when the session was over and he expressed surprise that the trail session started so early. He told journalists that he and other lawyers were denied a copy of the investigation file despite the orders of the court judge last time. He accused the prosecutor Saeed al-Akel of exercising excessive influence over the judge, claiming that the time set by the judge for the advocates to prepare their defense in favor of 14 suspects, as one of them is still at large, is not enough. The statement criticized the way the suspects were treated, brought before the judge in a cage with their hands chained as well as they way they were put into the prison vehicle. |