World | USA
Plea deal unlikely before Gitmo war crimes trial
A last-minute plea deal could halt the first war crimes trial at Guantanamo Bay on Monday, but military lawyers and observers say that appears extremely unlikely at this late stage.
- AP
- Published: 15:49 July 21, 2008
Guantanamo Bay: A last-minute plea deal could halt the first war crimes trial at Guantanamo Bay on Monday, but military lawyers and observers say that appears extremely unlikely at this late stage.
The Pentagon already has brought witnesses to the US Navy base in Cuba and assembled a jury pool of American military officers.
Military prosecutors are also eager to use the case of Salim Hamdan, a former driver and alleged bodyguard for Osama bin Laden, to showcase a tribunal system that has seen repeated legal setbacks.
Jury selection in Hamdan's case is scheduled to begin on Monday. Military prosecutors are gathering 22 witnesses for a trial that is expected to last roughly three weeks.
Julia Hall, senior counsel for Human Rights Watch's counterterrorism program, said Hamdan would not be a likely candidate for a plea deal because his case appears simple.
Twenty Guantanamo detainees are facing charges, including five alleged plotters of the September 11 attacks who were transferred here from secret CIA prisons in 2006.
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