9/11 Victims' Families Send Letter Decrying Politicization Of Guantánamo Military Commissions

Source: aclu.org

(6/3/2008)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (646) 206-8643 or (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org

NEW YORK — Family members of 9/11 victims have sent a letter today to Susan Crawford, Convening Authority of the Guantánamo military commissions, sharply criticizing the politicization of the system. According to news reports, a Pentagon representative secretly invited an outspoken supporter of the military commissions to Guantánamo Bay for Thursday's arraignment of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other detainees on terrorism-related charges, but did not make this option available to family members who have expressed criticism of the commissions. This type of politicization is symptomatic of the unconstitutional and biased tribunal system, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

The letter echoes the widespread call for a system to try the Guantánamo detainees that adheres to the Constitution, stating, "As people who lost loved ones in the terrorist attacks of 9/11, we want nothing more than to see that justice is served in the prosecution of suspects. However, we know that no justice will come out of a system that has been compromised by politics and stripped of the rule of law."

The military commission proceedings have been subject to unlawful political influence since they started. After holding detainees for over six years, the government is now rushing through these cases, giving the defense just three months to prepare for a trial timed to begin only weeks before the November elections.

"The American public has every right to expect that prosecutions of 9/11 suspects will be conducted in a fair, open and honest manner that is not compromised by crass political considerations. Selectively inviting only 9/11 family members whose views are in alignment with those of the Bush administration is only one example of the repeated attempts to infuse politics into what should be an impartial process that has the goal of achieving justice," the letter stated.

Since the inception of the Bush administration's military commissions, a growing number of lawyers, legal scholars, government officials, military personnel and others have raised concerns about prosecuting detainees under a system that ignores the fundamental tenets of due process and allows the admission of highly questionable evidence - particularly evidence possibly obtained through torture. According to the ACLU, these cases belong in a civilian court of law or a traditional military court operating in accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice that upholds due process and in which judges and attorneys are held to constitutional obligations and accountable to the rule of law.

In April, the ACLU launched the John Adams Project — a partnership with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) — to provide civilian legal representation to assist under-resourced military counsel of Guantánamo detainees.

For more information on the ACLU and NACDL's John Adams Project, see: www.aclu.org/johnadams

The letter is available online at:
www.aclu.org/safefree/detention/35514res20080603.html

Letter To Susan Crawford, Convening Authority, Office of Military Commissions

Source: aclu.org

Susan J. Crawford
Convening Authority
Department of Defense
Office of Military Commissions
1600 Defense Pentagon
Rm. 3B652
Washington DC 20301-1600

June 3, 2008

Dear Ms. Crawford:

Many of us learned for the first time this week that only one relative of a 9/11 victim was invited to attend the proceedings at Guantánamo Bay. The Defense Department’s belated disclosure that Debra Burlingame, a staunch supporter of this administration and the military commission system, was secretly invited to attend the arraignment of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is but the latest example of a covert, politicized military commission system that has little hope of bringing any legitimate outcome.

As people who lost loved ones in the terrorist attacks of 9/11, we want nothing more than to see that justice is served in the prosecution of suspects. However, we know that no justice will come out of a system that has been compromised by politics and stripped of the rule of law. Unfortunately, the government insists on trying those accused of participating in the 9/11 attacks in military commissions that operate largely outside the realm of public scrutiny and rely on confessions derived by torture, secret evidence that a defendant cannot rebut, and hearsay.

The American public has every right to expect that prosecutions of 9/11 suspects will be conducted in a fair, open and honest manner that is not compromised by crass political considerations. Selectively inviting only 9/11 family members whose views are in alignment with those of the Bush administration is only one example of the repeated attempts to infuse politics into what should be an impartial process that has the goal of achieving justice.

We know that we are not the only ones who object to the illegitimacy of these proceedings. Respected military figures as well as law enforcement officials like Janet Reno and William Webster have spoken out. And in an effort to make this system more in line with our constitutional values, the American Civil Liberties Union has assembled civilian legal teams to assist the woefully under-resourced military defense counsel. If the prosecution of these suspects is carried out in a manner that is not in accordance with American values of due process, the rule of law, and transparency, any verdict will lack legitimacy and we will be left to wonder if those responsible for the deaths of our loved ones have really been brought to justice.

Sincerely,

Anne M. Mulderry
Mother of Stephen V. Mulderry

Adele Welty
Mother of Firefighter Timothy Welty

Mindy Kleinberg
Wife of Alan Kleinberg

Lorie Van Auken
Wife of Kenneth Van Auken

Patricia Perry
Mother of Police Officer John Perry

Monica Gabrielle
Wife of Richard Gabrielle

Patty Casazza
Wife of John F. Casazza

cc: Capt. Karen Loftus, DoD OGC

...

"If the prosecution of these suspects is carried out in a manner that is not in accordance with American values of due process, the rule of law, and transparency, any verdict will lack legitimacy and we will be left to wonder if those responsible for the deaths of our loved ones have really been brought to justice."


Do these people deserve to know how and why their loved ones were murdered? Do we deserve to know how and why 9/11 happened?

9/11 Kin Barred From Gitmo Trial

Richard Greene from Air America spent 45 minutes on the phone with Debra Burlingame trying to get her on the show with Lorie, John, and Kyle. Apparently she said that if we're going to investigate Bush, we had better investigate Clinton. She refused to join the call. - Jon

Military Tribunals, 9/11 Families

Source: nydailynews.com

BY JAMES GORDON MEEK
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
Tuesday, June 3rd 2008, 4:00 AM

WASHINGTON - When the architects of the 9/11 attacks are charged this week at Guantanamo Bay for killing nearly 3,000 Americans, the victims’ families won’t be allowed to witness it.

The Defense Department outraged 9/11 families by belatedly disclosing that just one victim’s relative - GOP loyalist Debra Burlingame, whose brother Charles died in the attacks - was secretly invited to attend.

“This government cannot be upfront and honest,” said Rosemary Dillard of Detroit, whose husband, Eddie, died aboard the hijacked jet that struck the Pentagon. “It was very underhanded.”

The stunned families learned of Burlingame’s invitation to the arraignment of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four of his henchmen at the U.S. naval base in Cuba only after the Daily News made inquiries on Friday.

Widow Monica Gabrielle, whose husband, Rich, died in the twin towers, said, “They’re pitting family against family. It’s outrageous.”

Several relatives, such as Dillard, told the Pentagon and Justice Department during a Feb. 25 meeting that they wanted to go. Instead of creating a lottery, Pentagon victim-liaison officer Karen Loftus left them in the dark.

Dillard burst into tears when Loftus told her Friday about Burlingame’s covert ticket to Gitmo.

“I’m angry, I’m very upset about it,” said Dillard, who attended 9/11 commission hearings and never missed a day of Al Qaeda goon Zacarias Moussaoui’s death penalty trial.

Burlingame, a staunch defender of the Bush administration, spoke in support of the President at the 2004 GOP convention and has personally savaged other 9/11 family members who questioned his decisions.

She was invited as an “observer” to offer a political counterpoint - alongside conservatives from the American Legion and Judicial Watch - to human rights watchdogs critical of the untested military system for trying terrorists, a red-faced defense official said. She did not respond to a request for comment.

Navy Cmdr. Jeffrey Gordon denied the Pentagon was playing politics at the expense of 9/11 families. He promised officials “will come up with a solution” that addresses how 9/11 families can watch future proceedings.


Do these people deserve to know how and why their loved ones were murdered? Do we deserve to know how and why 9/11 happened?

Congratulations...

To the families for getting coverage of this...

http://www.yourbbsucks.com/forum/showpost.php?p=94048&postcount=52
http://www.yourbbsucks.com/forum/showpost.php?p=94049&postcount=53
http://www.yourbbsucks.com/forum/showpost.php?p=94051&postcount=55


Do these people deserve to know how and why their loved ones were murdered? Do we deserve to know how and why 9/11 happened?