While perusing the news today I came across this article on MSNBC. The title "5 Men Charged in 9/11 Attacks Could Face Death Penalty" made me do a double take considering it has been more than a decade since the 9/11 attacks. As I read on my horror only grew.
These five men, suspected of plotting and executing the attacks on 9/11 have been held since at least 2003 but charges were not even brought against them until 2008! In 2009 President Obama attempted to move the trial to a civil instead of military court but the charges were thrown out. Our government has continued to hold these men and only now have brought charges again, still in a military court. Where is the justice?
In the United States, authorities cannot legally hold you against your will without arresting you. Once you are arrested, they must bring you before a judge within 72 hours and formal charges must be set down. These men were held in Guantanamo Bay for 5 years before initial charges were brought. And even after the charges were dropped they were held an additional 2+ years until new charges were filed. During that time who knows what they were subjected to? Gitmo has always been rather infamous after all.
I wouldn't even be surprised if at least one of those men was innocent, caught up in the post 9/11 witch hunt. And now they will be put through a military trial in Gitmo, almost certainly found guilty, and in all odds executed without the truth being known to the American people. But what else can our government do? If, by some miracle, one or all of these men were found innocent the backlash would be tremendous. Our government would have to admit that they held foreign nationals for more than 9 years in that hell hole when they had done nothing wrong. What government could live with that shame? Let alone our proud, pompous, arrogant feds. (and yes I know that's redundant but it still doesn't paint them properly)
Maybe they are guilty, and if so I have very few reservations about seeing them executed. If they were guilty they could have and should have been tried and convicted years ago. I understand that the military has always taken fairly liberal license when it comes to issues of terrorism, but this is not the American way. But, then again, with the signing of the NDAA by President Obama I suppose it is.
Where to begin Shannan...where to begin?
ReplyDeleteThe fact that this sort of thing goes on is a dark blot on the name United States Of America. We are better then what we are doing in this and similar situations. Yet sadly these sort of things happen in this country.
"In the United States, authorities cannot legally hold you against your will without arresting you."
That has not really been true since The Patriot Act was passed and renewed has it not?
You're right, these guys and others should have received trials long ago, and not military trials, but in civilian court.
This is one of the areas I think President Obama could do better in.
I remember he had said he would close Guantanamo Bay, this never happened.
Hopefully someday it will be closed.
-Ler
The Patriot Act did not allow for US citizens to be held indefinitely, the NDAA does. A piece of legislation signed in by President Obama. If he's willing to allow that legislation to pass I have little hope about the close of Gitmo.
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