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New venue demanded for Pearl trial after threats
Prosecutors in the trial of four Pakistani men accused of murdering Daniel Pearl demanded a new venue for the case, claiming they were receiving threatening telephone calls. Public prosecutor Raja Qureshi filed an application in the High Court, asking the for the trial be moved from Karachi, where Pearl was kidnapped and executed, to any nearby city.They're going to have the same problem anywhere they move the trail, unless it's someplace like Samoa. He said there had also been warnings of an attack on the prison where the trial is being held in a makeshift courtroom. "I can not give you the details, but threats have been received that the jail can be blown-up if this trial proceeds," he said. Thought they had a powerful police establishment, backed up by an army? What's gonna be more secure than having the trial in a fortified jail? Defence lawyer Khwaja Naveed told AFP he was aware of the application, but did not know the details. "Wudn't my client. Nope. Not us." Proceedings were delayed last week after prosecutors filed a petition asking for the presiding judge to be replaced, complaining he had failed to stop the accused making "threatening gestures" to witnesses in court. Ummm... Yeah. Having the accused pointing his finger at a witness and hollering "Bang! Yer dead!" is probably a valid subject for objection. Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2002-04-29 |
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