H17485
Headlines : Human RightsU.S. drops 9/11 'hijacker' charges
Mohammed al-Qahtani was once thought to have been the “20th hijacker” in the 9-11 attacks, yet the only strong evidence backing this up came in a confession which he has since maintained was obtained after “he was beaten, restrained for long periods in uncomfortable positions, threatened with dogs, exposed to loud music and freezing temperatures and stripped nude in front of female military staff.”
Hence this acquittal is a victory for lawyers and campaigners fighting against torture, as much as it is a personal victory for al-Qahtani.
[Posted By Szamko]Republished from Al Jazeera
The Pentagon has dropped charges against a man alleged to have been the “20th hijacker” in the September 11 attacks, his US military defence lawyer has said.
Mohammed al-Qahtani, who is being held at a US military jail at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was one of six men facing murder and war crimes charges for their alleged roles in the 2001 attacks.
Bryan Broyles, al-Qahtani’s military lawyer, said on Monday that Susan Crawford, the convening authority for military commissions, dismissed the charges against al-Qahtani on Friday.
The charges were dismissed “without prejudice,” meaning they could be filed again at some point in the future.
Posted by Szamko
Just tries to tell the truth.
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he is still guilty of being muslim!
You beat me to it, Szam.
I’ll just add my would-be-summary to this piece:
Mohammed al Qahtani, a Saudi national, has been held in Guantanamo Bay for almost six years without trial – during which time he has been extensively tortured. In fact, many of the new “enhanced interrogation techniques” approved by Donald Rumsfeld in 2002 were introduced with al Qahtani in mind, as he was believed to be a high value target, whom al Qaeda had trained in thwarting traditional interrogation methods.
Interrogators were encouraged to “be creative” when working on Qahtani; some of the stranger torture techniques (many of which are laid out in the recent documentary Taxi to the Dark Side) to emerge from this process included holding a mock birthday party for him while guards sang “God Bless America,” forced enemas and crude sexual harassment from female interrogators.
A statement by his legal counsel – the Center for Constitutional Rights.
so who have they tried for 9-11 so far?
‘9/11’ accused due in court in June
No conviction? I certainly hope they are able to convict the other 19.
And “be creative” ? Some of those techniques don’t sound very creative. Me personally, I would flog him with a sock full of goldfish while he sits waist deep in strawberry J-E-L-L-O, and his eyes are wired open while the Soup Nazi episode of Seinfeld repeats ad nauseum.
And “be creative” ? Some of those techniques don’t sound very creative. Me personally, I would flog him with a sock full of goldfish while he sits waist deep in strawberry J-E-L-L-O, and his eyes are wired open while the Soup Nazi episode of Seinfeld repeats ad nauseum.
That sounds like a good time.