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Europe
Lawyers for Accused Moroccan Eye Acquittal
2005-08-16
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) - Lawyers for a Moroccan charged with aiding the Sept. 11 hijackers argued Monday that convicting their client despite the United States' refusal to allow key al-Qaida suspects to testify in his trial would hand a victory to Osama bin Laden.
Perhaps it's because I don't understand the German legal system that I think that statement makes no sense.
Mounir el Motassadeq is charged in Germany with more than 3,000 counts of accessory to murder and membership in a terrorist organization. Prosecutors maintain he helped pay tuition and bills for members to the so-called Hamburg al-Qaida cell, allowing them to live as students as they plotted the attacks. Last week, authorities demanded he receive the maximum sentence of 15 years.

His lawyer, Ladislav Anisic, criticized the lack of direct testimony from witnesses including Ramzi Binalshibh, a key Sept. 11 suspect in U.S. custody. Anisic said that summaries of interrogations provided by U.S. officials may have been "filtered" or obtained under torture and urged the court to give his client the benefit of the doubt. "Don't let Osama bin Laden win by neglecting the principles of the state of law," Anisic said, as the yearlong trial drew toward a close.
"Instead, let him win by blowing stuff up!"
El Motassadeq, 31, acknowledges that he was close to the three suicide hijackers who lived in the north German city, but maintains he did not know about their plans to attack the World Trade Center in New York in 2001.
"No, no, certainly not!"
He was convicted in 2003 of the same charges, but the verdict was thrown out last year and a retrial ordered after an appeals court ruled el Motassadeq was unfairly denied testimony from al-Qaida suspects in U.S. custody. The court is expected to deliver its verdict on Friday, and Anisic said he would appeal any conviction.

According to statements provided for the retrial by the U.S. Justice Department, Binalshibh said he and suicide pilots Mohamed Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi and Ziad Jarrah alone comprised the Hamburg cell. Prosecutors say Binalshibh, who was detained in Pakistan on the first anniversary of the attacks, probably lied to protect coconspirators.
Posted by:Steve White

#11  Accused Moroccan Eye ?


"What'd eye do?"
Posted by: BigEd   2005-08-16 16:46  

#10  No SPoD, the "Linkspartei" is overhyped, they won't get those 12% of the predicted votes.

The campaign has only started and despite some very heavy stuff from Stoiber the CDU/CSU is holding firm now and will probably climb back.

A CDU/CSU coalition with the FDP liberals remains the most likely outcome. The Linkspartei is a party of empty bags. They have nothing to offer.

I would have preferred Stoiber over Merkel but as Rumsfeld said: You go to war with the army you have.

A "dark red" coalition would be completely useless since this would result in a blockade by the Bundesrat (Upper House). And people know that.

As for the Charter of European rights: Italy is expelling turbans, the UK is expelling turbans and Germany is doing it, too.

We'll just kick more turbans out in the future.
Posted by: True German Ally   2005-08-16 16:33  

#9  But TGA doing anything will violate the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and it will be tied up in court for years. First the German courts then EU court.

I am sorry I don't share your understandable optimistic view of what Merkel will do if she is elected. I am seeing a left, left, neo communist grand coalition. A coalition that will protect and acquiesce to the religious Fascists.
Posted by: Sock Puppet 0’ Doom   2005-08-16 16:13  

#8  I should add that political opinions are shifting already when it comes to the treatment of radical islamists.

Both Schily (SPD) and Beckstein (CSU) favor internment if they cannot be removed from Gwerman soil.

And many can (and will) of course be removed from German soil. The gloves will come off.
Posted by: True German Ally   2005-08-16 15:34  

#7  SPoD

I'm anything but happy about Merkel's statement re Iran but it's a campaign strategic one.

Schroeder won the last elections on exactly two issues: Iraq/Bush bashing and the floods.

It's a rainy summer but no floods expected until September.
Schroeder started the Iran thing but he won't get far with it if the opposition says, war is no option.

After the elections, this was, of course, "taken out of context" and was meant to read: "War is not an option at this point".

But yes, I'm not optimistic enough to see a change of opinion in the German public very soon. This will have to come gradually, and will - unfortunately - be sped up by shit happening.

The problem with Motassedeq is that he wouldn't fare any worse at a regular U.S. courts that upholds the current legal standards for "regular criminal cases".

Thee is a reason you don't submit suspected terrorists to the regular U.S. legal system.

If the court cannot prove that Motassedeq knew about the plans, it's in dubio pro reo. Would not be different in the U.S.
Posted by: True German Ally   2005-08-16 15:30  

#6  Treating these Fascists as regular criminals doesn't work. The law courts of most countries have shown that they willfully don't get what is at stake. The welfare state is incapable of defending it's self it instead supports the lifestyle of these Fascists so they can spread their poison without having to provide their own support. The Welfare State happily provide a lawyer to defend them when they violate the law.
Posted by: Sock Puppet 0’ Doom   2005-08-16 14:25  

#5  All this arsing about does is get the average Joe thinking that the courts are not going to be the ones to sort out this mess. It makes any kind of backlash against innocents more likely and much more dangerous if/when it does happen.

It takes a looong time before people turn their backs on the courts, but with palavers like this going on (and it's the same in the UK), they will.
Posted by: Tony (UK)   2005-08-16 06:18  

#4  Quite.
Posted by: Tony (UK)   2005-08-16 05:23  

#3  Why from the German government (German workers pocketbooks) of course.
Posted by: Sock Puppet 0’ Doom   2005-08-16 05:16  

#2  Care to guess where these people get the money to continue to hire (presumably top-notch) lawyers to continually appeal cases?
Posted by: Tony (UK)   2005-08-16 05:12  

#1  Germany and Germans no longer are particiapnts in the ant-fascist struggle against al-Qaida and it's supporters. Merkel supports Gerhard's stance on no threat of military action against the Mad Mullahs as of yesterday. The terrorist will walk and continue to be on the dole in Germany.
Posted by: Sock Puppet 0’ Doom   2005-08-16 01:32  

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