9/11 accused refuses to appear in court

Friday, July 11, 2008 at 9:07 am

Ramzi Binalshibh, one of the five men accused of being co-conspirators in the Sept. 11th attacks, refused on Thursday (July 10, 2008) to appear before a U.S. military court. zinalshibh was expected to appear before a military tribunal at the U.S. Naval base at Guantanamo Bay to determine whether he was pressured by alleged al Qaeda mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed into his decision to refuse counsel.

At their joint arraignment a month earlier, all five defendants said they would represent themselves before the tribunal. Binalshibh faces charges that could bring the death penalty. His refusal to appear before the court furthered speculation about his mental state and raised concerns among human rights activists who have criticized prosecutors for not releasing Binalshibh’s medical records.

At his arraignment, Binalshibh wore leg chains bolted to the floor. His lawyers said he was receiving psychotropic medication. No other details were made available to the media. Anthony Romero believes Binalshibh’s refusal to appear before the tribunal only highlighted a number of still unclear guidelines for the military commissions. Romero heads the American Civil Liberties Union and has called for the military to transfer the case a to a U.S. federal court. “It means it is going to take a lot longer than the government planned. That clearly shows again some of the problems of the military commissions process. Does he have to show up? Can the government force him?” Romero said.

At a later court session, Military judge, Marine Col. Ralph Kohlmann addressed the issue when it was raised by Walid Bin Attash, another defendant in the Sept. 11 co-conspirators case. Kohlmann told the court that failure to appear before the court without permission could result in a defendant forfeiting his right to act as his own attorney.

(Agencies)

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9/11 accused refuses to appear in court

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