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9/11 Victims’ Families Challenge Legitimacy Of Guantánamo Military Commissions
ACLU.org
Thursday, December 11, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org
NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union today released a statement from 31 9/11 victims’ family members challenging the legitimacy of the Guantánamo military commissions and their ability to achieve justice.
Below is the full text of the statement:
9/11 FAMILY MEMBERS CHALLENGE LEGITIMACY OF GUANTÁNAMO MILITARY COMMISSIONS
As family members who lost loved ones on 9/11, we feel compelled to speak out about this week’s proceedings at Guantánamo. Recently, the Guantánamo military commissions office announced that victims’ family members would be permitted, on a lottery basis, to attend the Guantánamo legal hearings of those accused of planning the 9/11 attacks. The lottery system inherently results in the granting of media attention to the select few who are chosen, and whose views are not necessarily representative of all victims’ families. The media coverage of Monday’s commission hearings included statements attributed to attending family members that the tribunals provided a fair hearing for these prosecutions and that family members “were struck by the extensive rights accorded the accused men.”
While we support everyone’s right to their individual opinions about these proceedings, including, of course, other family members who have suffered the devastation we have, we also feel obliged to make clear that many of us do not believe these military commissions to be fair, in accordance with American values, or capable of achieving the justice that 9/11 family members and all Americans deserve.
We believe that the secretive and unconstitutional nature of these proceedings deprive us of the right to know the full truth about what happened on 9/11. These prosecutions have been politically motivated from the start, are designed to ensure quick convictions at the expense of due process and transparency, and are structured to prevent the revelation of abusive interrogations and torture engaged in by the U.S. government. Unfortunately, any verdict borne of these proceedings will lack legitimacy and leave us wondering if true justice has been served. No comfort or closure can come from military commissions that ignore the rule of law and stain America’s reputation at home and abroad.
(ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW)
We are strongly encouraged by the incoming administration’s promise to end this shameful system, and we are hopeful for a fresh start for these and all other Guantánamo prosecutions in U.S. courts worthy of American justice. It is time for our nation to stop betraying its own values – and the values of so many who died on 9/11.
Anne M. Mulderry, Kinderhook, New York, mother of Stephen V. Mulderry
Terry Kay Rockefeller, Arlington, MA, sister of Laura Rockefeller
J. William Harris, Arlington, MA, brother-in-law of Laura Rockefeller
Loretta Filipov, Concord, MA, wife of Alexander M. Filipov
Alissa Torres, New York, NY, wife of Luis Eduardo Torres
Bob McIlvaine, Oreland, PA, father of Bobby McIlvaine
Wright Salisbury, Lexington, MA, father-in-law of Edward Hennessy, Jr.
Barbara and Jim Fyfe, Durham, NC, parents of Karleton Douglas Beye Fyfe
Robyn Bernstein, Bolton, MA, daughter of Roberta Bernstein Heber
Patricia J. and James L. Perry, M.D., Seaford, NY, parents of NYPD officer John W. Perry
Rita Lasar, New York, NY, sister of Abraham Zelmanowitz
Valerie Lucznikowska, New York, NY, aunt of Adam Arias
Marion Kminek, Cape Coral, FL, mother of Mari-Rae Sopper
Kate Walsh Calton, Tampa, FL, wife of James Walsh
Beverly Eckert, Stamford, CT, wife of Sean Rooney
Monica Gabrielle, wife of Richard Gabrielle
Lorie Van Auken, wife of Kenneth Van Auken
Dr. Robin S. Theurkauf, wife of Thomas Theurkauf
Andrea N. LeBlanc, Lee, NH, wife of Robert G. LeBlanc
Frank Tatum, Stillwater, NY, son of Diane Moore Parsons
Antonio Aversano, Hadley, MA, son of Louis F. Aversano, Jr.
Nissa Youngren, Rochester, NY, daughter of Robert G. LeBlanc
Paula Shapiro, Pala, CA, mother of Eric Adam Eisenberg
Patricia Casazza, wife of John Casazza
Mindy Kleinberg, wife of Alan Kleinberg
Sheila Rooney, Fayetteville, NY, sister of Sean Rooney
Rosemary Dillard, wife of Eddie A. Dillard
Blake Allison, Lyme, NH, husband of Anna S.W. Allison
Roxanna K. Myhrum, Cambridge, MA, niece of Sean Rooney
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December 11th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Hey Truthers, I have been spreading the truth in this forum for the last few months, I had a bunch of great threads exploring the Truth movement. However they gave me the boot and took all of the threads down. Maybe some of you could go there, join and start some truth threads.
http://www.htrnews.com/apps/pb.....PluckForum
December 11th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
funny how you cant find this story on cnn & fox now…thought it was a major story
December 12th, 2008 at 12:31 am
Previously on 9.11 …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2WdSyD769M
December 12th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Justice will never be served on this issue from within this country unless the criminals who are colluding to impede a fair trial are themselves put on trial and imprisoned for their crimes. These people obviously don’t care about justice or the memory of those that died. This is the kind of people they are and they demonstrate it with their actions. If the new administration does anything to the contrary, it will be stopped OR a new false flag event will be orchestrated to divert attention. These are bad bad people who look at these tragic deaths in the same light as one would when butchering a chicken or cow. They are a cancer upon humanity.
December 13th, 2008 at 3:15 am
I propose the creation of: The Association of Victims of State-Sponsored False-Flag Terrorism.
This NGO could entail millions of members since we are ALL international victims of Inside Jobs.
December 13th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
swat has a good point with his comment. Not only has the story disappeared rapidly from news sources, but it appeared just as abruptly. There was no mention of it until it was already taking place. Then there was a least one reporter shown on the news speaking from the event, who said she had been inside the courtroom with other reporters. They showed the artist sketches, and mention the lottery, and one women who was there, who’s son made the phone call from the plane than crashed with no debri. There were no other victim’s family members mentioned by name. To me, it immediately seemed staged and suspicious. It was a publicity stunt to make it appear that the victims were finally getting the justice they have wanted. It could have easily been done. The “terrorists” way up in front of the courtroom, jury, a couple “victims” invited, and some press, sitting way in the back. I have been watching the news sites on the web, and they are becoming much quicker putting up articles and then taking them away where they cannot be found. I must also say that I saw an interview of Pres. Bush, by Cynthia McFadden resently. It showed Bush going on and on about his faith in the Lord, and looking so honest and religious. Im sorry, all I could think of is that he is painting a picture for all of us to be convinced that he was just following his morals all along, and now he will be retiring soon, and live out the rest of his years a free man, innocent of any crime………. and they also around that time showed the nice home he will be living in.
December 14th, 2008 at 4:06 am
Interestingly, ABCs website has been changed a bit since yesterday, and I am now able to find both the article about the detainees court trial & the taped interview of “religious” G. W. B. Also much to my surprize, the talk about a possible test crisis for Obama has made headlines, with Gates warning other countries against it.
December 14th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
These guys are going to be the “scapegoats” for 9/11 just like Oswald was supposed to take the fall for the Kennedy assasination. Wake up America! BOTH were inside jobs you uneducated morons!
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:43 pm
dnunda, which guys are going to be scapegoats? I think you need the education. jfk and 911 were inside jobs!!! Let me guess we also called up the hurricane and asked it to hit new orleans. WOW!! I wish you could take a step back and see how ignorant YOU sound.
March 4th, 2009 at 10:06 am
hmmm