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| International | |
| Aussie, 2 Brits to Face U.S. Military Tribunal | |
| 2003-07-05 | |
| Two Britons and an Australian in U.S. custody are among six terror suspects who will likely face U.S. military trial, British and Australian officials said Friday. British officials said they would ``vigorously'' seek access to its citizens, Moazzam Begg, 35, and Feroz Abbasi, 23, who were among those designated by U.S. authorities as the first candidates for trial before a military tribunal. By all means, let the Brits see them. The news drew protest from families of the jailed Britons, who denied the men had terror links and worried that the trials wouldn't be fair. Nope, nope, couldn't be, they wouldn't hurt a
Hmmm, I think it's fair to say that one can see how Hicks' lawyer is going to play this. The tribunals will have three to seven military officers acting as judge and jury. Convictions could be by a majority vote, but a death sentence would have to be unanimous. Decisions by the tribunals can be appealed only to a panel of judges appointed by the U.S. Defense Department, and then directly to the president. Seems reasonable. Court to try the facts, a review to ensure appropriate process, and a final appeal to the top. Looks good so far. Amnesty International said the selection of the six was ``another retrograde step for human rights in the U.S.-led 'war against terrorism' and will further undermine the U.S.A.'s claims to be a country that champions the rule of law.'' Must be pledge week for AI. U.S. officials had refused to identify the six prisoners, but said all — like the other prisoners at Guantanamo Bay — were suspected of involvement with the al-Qaeda, the Taliban or some other terrorist group. The next step is for a prosecutor to draft charges against the men. Some of the six may have attended terrorist training camps and others were involved in raising money and recruiting for terrorist groups. Only non-U.S. citizens can face a tribunal under Bush's order creating the military trials. Witness Johnny Red. Reading between the lines, this also means that Yaser Esam Hamdi will eventually get a US trial, not a tribunal. Relatives of the two British detainees said they feared the trials would be unfair. ``The trial will be military, the judge will be military and yet my son is a civilian,'' said Moazzam Begg's father, Azmat Begg. ``This is just not right. "He was in Afghanistan on business! That's all, just looking after the family business!" ``My son was never involved in al-Qaida,'' he said. ``He is a proper, family man.'' Turban? Check. Rifle? Check. Holy book? Check. Yep, a good son! He'd pass for a civilian in Pakistan, Syria, Gaza and Saudi-controlled Arabia. And Yemen. Abbasi's attorney said his client's mother, Zumrati Juma, was ``extremely upset and very fearful for her son.'' She might be the only one who loves him. ``He was only 19 when he left home and it is impossible to believe that her son could have been a senior member of any organization,'' lawyer Louise Christian added. "Why, his father hadn't killed anyone until he was, um, 20!" ``We are horrified that the British government is allowing this to happen.'' I, on the other hand, am pleased. Foreign Office minister Baroness Symons said the British government would ``vigorously'' pursue issues relating to access to lawyers, evidence and a possible appeals procedure for the two detainees. ``I think there are issues about the principle of using military commissions,'' Symons told British Broadcasting Corp. radio. ``It isn't something we would be able to do in this country, because of course we would want to ensure that there is a separation between government on one hand and the judiciary on the other.'' Baroness Symons, please call the Foreign Office legal counselor, she'd like a word with you about how your country has done things over the last few centuries. Begg has been held at Guantanamo Bay for nearly five months, and was previously detained in Afghanistan for a year, according to the London-based Fair Trials Abroad. It said the father of four was seized in Pakistan in February 2002 and may have been the victim of mistaken identity. Father of four and only 19? Randy bugger. Abbasi has been held at Guantanamo Bay for 18 months, his lawyer said. His mother, who last saw him in December 2000, has described him as a computer student who could not have become involved in terrorism. "Do you have any idea just how hard it is to program an Apple ][+? Do you??? Begg and Abbasi are among nine British citizens at the maximum-security Camp Delta in Cuba, the Foreign Office said. The director of Fair Trials Abroad, Stephen Jakobi, said the U.S. tribunals were designed to secure convictions. ``The U.S. Department of Defense will appoint the judges and prosecutors, control the defense and make up the rules of the trial,'' Jakobi said. ``It appears to have only one objective - to secure a conviction.'' Bright boy. Got it the first time! | |
| Posted by:Steve White |