A former US soldier being tried in Afghanistan for hostage-taking and torture has said his trial is unfair.
Jonathan Idema told a court in Kabul on Monday that he had not been given a copy of the charges against him. He and two other American men, Edward Caraballo and Brent Bennett, are accused of illegally entering Afghanistan and running a private jail. Mr Idema says his mission was approved by the Pentagon, a charge the US authorities deny.
| "If any of your IM force is caught or killed, the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions." |
| "This message will self-destruct in [KERBLAM!]" |
The US military says it has no such relationship with him, but has acknowledged that it had contact with the group.
| "Your contact will be wearing a red turban, with a carnation in his lapel..." |
Mr Idema wore dark sunglasses and a khaki army shirt with a US flag on the shoulder as the trial resumed for him and his co-accused. Speaking in court, he attacked the judicial process, complaining that he had not been given a copy of the charges against him. The BBC's Andrew North, who was in the courtroom, says Mr Idema sometimes flung up his arms in apparent frustration, saying he had no access to the evidence he needs to defend himself. Mr Idema claims this includes videos, photos and documents which he says were removed by US FBI officers after his arrest. He said FBI agents had been present at one interrogation he had carried out of a man he described as a "terrorist". But the trial judge, Abdul Basset Bakhtiari, blamed Mr Idema for the confusion and repeatedly asked him to keep to "the substance of the case". He said Mr Idema still had to answer two key questions: how did he enter Afghanistan and who gave him the authority to arrest Afghans and detain them?
Four Afghan men arrested with the Americans in Kabul in early July are also in the dock. The judge said he would do his best to ensure a fair trial for the men. If found guilty, the seven men could face jail sentences of between 16 and 20 years. |