Attorney General Eric Holder reneged in his firm promise to try accused terrorists in a civilian court so “real justice”, for those who might be wrongfully convicted or excessively vilified, and the victims who deserve a resolution and a full disclosure (including what corruption might have occurred with various commissions associated with Sept 11, 2001), would be delivered.
This is not good news for liberals and progressives who want full disclosure on how the American military police and intelligence, particularly under Bush, have operated or not operated in their highly secretive actions of rounding up people around the world, suspected of terrorism or terrorist associations ; sending them to secret prisons (through its rendition program), where some were tortured ; and then holding them in Guantanamo Bay for nearly eight years without proper care or judicial representation.
This is painful news for many Muslims around the world, including immigrants and Muslim Americans in the United States, who feel that they are targets of “excessive suspicion, surveillance, interrogation, police harassment, judicial prejudice and legal persecution” in America. There will be protests and protestations about this for some time to come – understandably so!
This is horrific news for many in the international community - who have been angry and annoyed at America's violation of civil and human rights, in its war on terrorism, against many non-citizens and some non-Anglo Americans (inside and outside the United States).
As police brutality and judicial prejudice have been a reality for many African Americans for centuries in the United States, one can see how people around the world would get suspicious and skeptical of the American judicial process involving other minorities - many labeled as national security threats.
Rodney King beatings, caught on tape and released to the public, occurred in 1991. For every police brutality that occurs near a highly trafficked highway, in a big city like Los Angles, that is caught on video and released by a local justice-centered media, there are thousands of harassment and beatings of minorities, immigrants and poor people that have gone unreported, un-investigated, unsolved and unknown (to us).
Of course Presidential candidates and political leaders who call for “extra judicial assassination” of men like Julian Assange and Bradley Manning only add to concerned questions about American judicial fairness. How are people going to trust this trial - as fair, even handed and judicially right?
The men who will be tried, five in total - a small number for a country with a huge military engaged in wars on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq, are already guilty to many Conservatives and Republicans...and hence make the trial appear as nothing more than a sham. (What has also been forgotten in the press is that there were many innocent Muslims and a few non-Muslims who were held without trial, and were released from Guantanamo Bay prison camps only few years ago. Most of them will not get a chance to tell their story, and receive proper compensation for false incarceration and torture).
Ms.Talat Hamdani, a Pakistani American who became a critical opponent of the Patriot Act, and had a son who was murdered in the Al Queda attacks on September 11, 2001, has been a big advocate for an open criminal trial. She has admitted that this transfer of judicial and geographical location for the terror-suspects is not very democratic or trustworthy.
She stated on KPFA Pacifica Evening News (April 4, 2011) that “while America is trying to bring democracy in the Middle East, it is denying an open and a fair judicial trial for people in the United States”.
How much of the military trial will be covered openly, accurately and thoroughly by the American press (notorious for having a sheep-like mentality and a herd-like behavior) is yet to be established.
As one late night comedian noted, “These guys might get better trial in Albania, Algeria or Angola. Amen and Allah-O-Akbar including!"
This is not good news for liberals and progressives who want full disclosure on how the American military police and intelligence, particularly under Bush, have operated or not operated in their highly secretive actions of rounding up people around the world, suspected of terrorism or terrorist associations ; sending them to secret prisons (through its rendition program), where some were tortured ; and then holding them in Guantanamo Bay for nearly eight years without proper care or judicial representation.
This is painful news for many Muslims around the world, including immigrants and Muslim Americans in the United States, who feel that they are targets of “excessive suspicion, surveillance, interrogation, police harassment, judicial prejudice and legal persecution” in America. There will be protests and protestations about this for some time to come – understandably so!
This is horrific news for many in the international community - who have been angry and annoyed at America's violation of civil and human rights, in its war on terrorism, against many non-citizens and some non-Anglo Americans (inside and outside the United States).
As police brutality and judicial prejudice have been a reality for many African Americans for centuries in the United States, one can see how people around the world would get suspicious and skeptical of the American judicial process involving other minorities - many labeled as national security threats.
Rodney King beatings, caught on tape and released to the public, occurred in 1991. For every police brutality that occurs near a highly trafficked highway, in a big city like Los Angles, that is caught on video and released by a local justice-centered media, there are thousands of harassment and beatings of minorities, immigrants and poor people that have gone unreported, un-investigated, unsolved and unknown (to us).
Of course Presidential candidates and political leaders who call for “extra judicial assassination” of men like Julian Assange and Bradley Manning only add to concerned questions about American judicial fairness. How are people going to trust this trial - as fair, even handed and judicially right?
The men who will be tried, five in total - a small number for a country with a huge military engaged in wars on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq, are already guilty to many Conservatives and Republicans...and hence make the trial appear as nothing more than a sham. (What has also been forgotten in the press is that there were many innocent Muslims and a few non-Muslims who were held without trial, and were released from Guantanamo Bay prison camps only few years ago. Most of them will not get a chance to tell their story, and receive proper compensation for false incarceration and torture).
Ms.Talat Hamdani, a Pakistani American who became a critical opponent of the Patriot Act, and had a son who was murdered in the Al Queda attacks on September 11, 2001, has been a big advocate for an open criminal trial. She has admitted that this transfer of judicial and geographical location for the terror-suspects is not very democratic or trustworthy.
She stated on KPFA Pacifica Evening News (April 4, 2011) that “while America is trying to bring democracy in the Middle East, it is denying an open and a fair judicial trial for people in the United States”.
How much of the military trial will be covered openly, accurately and thoroughly by the American press (notorious for having a sheep-like mentality and a herd-like behavior) is yet to be established.
As one late night comedian noted, “These guys might get better trial in Albania, Algeria or Angola. Amen and Allah-O-Akbar including!"
