A US army appeals court docket has dominated towards Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin’s try to dam potential plea offers for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two alleged co-conspirators within the September 11, 2001 assaults.
The choice may result in plea agreements for Mohammed, Walid bin Attash, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, sparing them the dying penalty in trade for responsible pleas. A plea listening to for Mohammed, accused of masterminding the assaults that killed almost 3,000 folks, is scheduled for subsequent week.
The ruling upheld a earlier resolution by army choose Colonel Matthew McCall, asserting that Austin lacked authority to overturn plea bargains initially authorized by a Pentagon official.
Issues of torture in trials
The case has been mired in delays, partly on account of allegations of torture throughout the so-called “world battle on terror.” Using “enhanced interrogation methods” by the CIA on detainees has sparked authorized and public outcry, doubtlessly jeopardizing convictions.
As an example, former al-Qaeda courier Majid Khan was sentenced to 26 years in 2021 after enduring waterboarding, hunger, and sexual abuse. Regardless of his conviction, the army jury urged clemency as a result of severity of his mistreatment.
Guantanamo’s shadow
Mohammed and his co-defendants have been held at Guantanamo Bay, a logo of post-9/11 abuses. The Biden administration initially aimed to shut the detention heart however has but to take action, with 26 detainees remaining.
4 detainees, together with Tunisian Ridah bin Saleh al-Yazidi, have been not too long ago transferred. Al-Yazidi was repatriated to Tunisia after greater than a decade of being cleared for launch.
Subsequent steps
Regardless of the court docket’s ruling, Austin could enchantment to the US Court docket of Appeals for the DC Circuit, doubtlessly inflicting additional delays. Pre-trial hearings within the case have already spanned over a decade, with no decision in sight.