Division Over Proposed Trials of 9/11 Plotters
Victims' Families Split on How 9/11 Conspirators to be Tried
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder recently announced that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other detainees will be put on trial in New York City. The trials will be held in the federal court house that is about 1,000 yards away from where the twin towers of the World Trade Center once stood. Americans in general and families of the victims are divided as to whether these men should be tried by civilian courts or before military tribunals.
Family Members of 9/11 Victims
Some family members object not because the detainees will be tried by civilian courts but to the physical location where those trials will be held. They feel that trying the 9/11 conspirators so close to where the thousands lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001 is somehow disrespectful to the victims.
Others oppose the holding of civilian trials for different reasons. Ed Kowalski of the 9/11 Families for a Secure America believes the terror suspects are not entitled to the same constitutional rights that are given to those who are tried in regular civilian courts. According to Kowalski, this is the first time that war criminals have ever been given the full protection of the U.S. Constitution.
Debra Burlingame, the sister of the pilot whose plane was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon, also believes civilian trials should not be held. Burlingame is quoted as saying that she is sickened by “the prospect of these barbarians being treated as victims by their attorneys.”
Other family members worry about the legal loopholes that the defendants might be able to take advantage of. Bruce Holland, whose brother died in the World Trade Center, is concerned that mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the others may end up getting off on a technicality. These relatives are concerned that with the constitutional protections awarded to the men who will be tried, evidence against them might end up being excluded during trials held in federal court. Still others have concerns that public trials that will be held in New York City will simply provide a platform for the detainees to spew their anti-American hatred and mock the victims.
Not all of the family members oppose the idea of holding civilian trials in New York City. Lorie Van Auken, whose husband died in the World Trade Center, thinks that she and other family members will be able to obtain closure after the public trials are concluded. And some family members, many of whom live in New York City and surrounding areas, are happy to have the opportunity to observe the proceedings.
Politicians Weigh in on the Holding of Civilian Trials
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton backs the Obama administration’s decision to hold the trials in New York’s federal court. The former U.S. senator from New York acknowledges the pain that the trials will bring to some of the family members but said that it was important to note that Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other city officials are in favor of the venue of the trials.
Shortly after Eric Holder made his announcement, Independent Senator Joe Lieberman issued a statement disagreeing with the decision. Lieberman stated that the 9/11 plotters are war criminals, not common criminals and should be tried before military tribunals. The senator added that the detainees are not American citizens and not entitled to the rights that citizens are entitled to before the country’s federal courts.
Officials of the former Bush administration such as former Attorney General Michael Mukasey and former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge also oppose civilian trials. They feel that there is a possibility that these trials will turn into trials, not of the alleged terrorists but of the Bush administration, most notably President Bush and Vice President Cheney.
Not All Detainees to Receive Civilian Trials
Attorney General Holder also announced that five other detainees will also be brought to trial but before military tribunals. These five include Canadian-born Omar Khadr who was captured in Afghanistan in 2002 at the age of 15. Khadr, the only westerner still detained by the United States, is accused of killing a U.S. medic and seriously wounding another soldier.
Despite the criticism, the Attorney General believes that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the others will receive fair trials.
World Trade Center, September 11, 2001
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