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First Guantanamo Trial Ends in Split Verdict
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PlusFirst Guantanamo Trial Ends in Split VerdictFirst Guantanamo Trial Ends in Split VerdictThe Associated PressA jury of six U.S. military officers convicted Osama bin Laden's former driver of supporting terrorism but cleared him of conspiracy Wednesday in the first war crimes trial at Guantanamo Bay. The jury later reconvened for a sentencing hearing. (Aug. 6)A former driver for Osama Bin Ladin could face life in prison after being convicted of some of the charges against him. A military jury found Salim Hamdan (sah-LEEM' hahm-DAHN') guilty of supporting terrorism. He was cleared of the conspiracy charge. The trial at Guantanamo Bay provided the first demonstration of a special tribunal system for prosecuting alleged terrorists.Hamdan held his head in his hands and wept at the defense table after a Navy captain presiding over the jury read the sentence.(SOT: COMMANDER J.D. GORDON, PENTAGON SPOKESPERSON) "WELL, AS WE'VE SEEN HERE OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS; MR HAMDAN DID RECEIVE A FULL AND FAIR TRIAL. HE WAS CONVICTED OF MATERIAL SUPPORT TO TERRORISM, FIVE SPECIFICATIONS OUT OF EIGHT THAT HE WAS CHARGED WITH. AND AS WE CAN SEE, THE MILITARY COMMISSION'S PROCESS IS MOVING FORWARD."Defense lawyers had feared a guilty verdict was inevitable. They say the tribunal system's rules seemed designed to achieve convictions.(SOT: MICHAEL BERRIGAN, DEPUTY CHIEF DEFENCE COUNCIL) "THE REAL TRAVESTY ALL OF THIS IS THAT THE OFFENCES FOR WHICH MR HAMDAN WAS FOUND NOT GUILTY TODAY, WERE THE ONLY OFFENCES THAT HE WAS CHARGED WITH INITIALLY, BACK IN 2004, HE WAS ACQUITTED OF ALL OF THOSE. THE ONLY SPECIFICATIONS HE WAS CONVICTED OF ARE OFFENCES THAT WERE ADDED AFTER THE FACT BY THE MILITARY COMMISSIONS ACT 2006, LONG AFTER HE WAS CONFINED HERE AT GUANTANAMO BAY."The military accused Hamdan of transporting missiles for al-Qaida. They also say he helped bin Laden escape U.S. retribution following the Sept. 11 attacks by driving him around Afghanistan. Defense attorneys said he was merely a low-level bin Laden employee. (SOT: BEN WIZNER, STAFF ATTORNEY, ACLU ) "NEVER IN THE HISTORY OF THE LAW OF WAR HAS A MILITARY TRIBUNAL BEEN CONVENED TO PUNISH SUCH A LOW-LEVEL OFFENDER FOR SUCH LOW LEVEL CHARGES." (SOT: MICHAEL RATNER, PRESIDENT OF CENTER FOR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS) "I'M NOT SURPRISED BY THE VERDICT OF GUILT BECAUSE THIS WAS A HAND-PICKED JURY WITH UNFAIR RULES OF EVIDENCE, COERCED EVIDENCE AND UNFAIR CHARGES AND TRIED IN AN ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH BASICALLY SECRECY WAS THE HALLMARK. THIS IS NOT A TRIAL THAT REALLY COMPORTS WITH MY NOTIONS OR EVEN THE CONSTITUTION'S NOTIONS OF DUE PROCESS." ___ ___, The Associated Press.
Channel: News & Politics
Uploaded: August 6, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Author: AssociatedPress
Length: 0:01:39
Rating: 5.00
Views: 199
Tags: guantanamo bin_laden's_driver first trial ends split verdict
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