U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stepped in this week to deny a plea agreement for 9/11 terrorists, which would have spared the defendants from the death-penalty amidst a nearly two decade legal battle.
Military Commission Approves Plea Deals
On Wednesday, the military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, approved plea deals for three 9/11 masterminds, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid bin Attash, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi.
Conditions of Plea Agreement Include No More than Life Sentence
The commission stated that the plea agreement required the three to serve life sentences at most.
Families of Victims Informed
The military commission informed the relatives of the 3,000 people killed in the terrorist attack by al-Qaeda of the plea agreement terms by letter.
Defense Secretary Denies Plea Agreement
Two days later, Austin wrote in a Memorandum for Convening Authority for Military Commissions that he held the authority to make the ultimate decision on whether to accept plea agreements and, therefore, nullified the plea agreement.
Reaction from Victims’ Families
Many families of the 3,000 killed in the attacks condemned the plea agreement because it limited the judicial system from holding complete trials and potentially imposing the death penalty on the terrorists.
Political Reactions
Outraged Republicans blamed the Biden Administration for the plea agreement. The White House has stated it had no prior knowledge of the plea deal.
Senator Cotton Calls Agreement “Disgraceful”
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) from the Senate Armed Services Committee condemned the plea deal as “disgraceful.”
Cotton’s Senate Bill to Require 9/11 Defendants to Face Death Penalty
He introduced a bill to require the 9/11 defendants to face the death penalty.
Ongoing Legal Proceedings
The U.S. military commission is still in pre-trial hearings for five 9/11 defendants. Many Americans are shocked to hear about the ongoing legal proceedings since 2008.
Cause of 9/11 Trial Delay
Some of the conditions delaying the trial include the treatment of the detainees while in CIA custody. The delay is due in part to the inadmissibility of evidence related to CIA torture.
Attempts to Resolve the Case
The plea deal is reportedly intended to resolve the long-entrenched case of the 9/11 defendants. Lawyers for both sides have negotiated an end to the legal morass for over a year.
Biden’s Past Actions to Block Plea Deal
Last year, President Biden prevented a plea bargain by refusing to guarantee that the defendants would not receive the punishment of solitary confinement and also declined to guarantee trauma-care considerations for the CIA torture.
Criticism of Defense Secretary’s Decision
Wells Dixon represented the defendants and criticized Defense Secretary Austin for “bowing to political pressure and pushing some victim family members over an emotional cliff.”
