A federal appeal court in Washington, DC, has signed a proposed petition deal for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, expecting a major development in one of the longest military prosecution in American history. In a 2–1 judgment, the court ruled that the then Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin worked within his authority when he blocked the agreement last year, a step that prosecutors said that it was necessary to preserve public confidence in the military tribunal process.The deal, which took two years to negotiate and approved by military prosecutors and senior Pentagon officials, would have convicted Mohammed and two co-operatives in exchange for life imprisonment without parole. The agreement also included a commitment to the defendants to answer the gendering questions of the families of the victims. But Austin intervened, arguing that such an important decision – obtaining the death penalty from consideration – should only be done by the Defense Secretary.“Recognizing the appointment authority properly, the Secretary determined that ‘the family and the American public are worth the opportunity to look into the trials of the military commission.” The Secretary worked within the limits of his legal rights, and we reject his decision to another estimate, ”the judges wrote to Patricia Milllet and Neomi Rao.In a strong dissatisfaction, Judge Robert Wilkins wrote: “The government has not come within a country to prove clearly and undeniably that the military judge erased.”Mohammed, now 59, appeared in court wearing traditional clothes earlier this week, his beard fell in bright orange color. When asked by the judge whether he was blaming for all allegations “without exceptions or replacement”, his lawyer replied, “yes, we can, your respect. “But before the argument could be officially recorded, the court was informed that the deal was stopped.Many relatives of the victims flew into Guantanamo Bay to see the proceedings, only at the last time to find out that the arguments would not move forward. Elizabeth Miller said, “It is like a permanent organ … it is like a constant whiplash.”With the case now back to Limbo, no resolution is possible until the next US administration took over. Guantanamo Bay, once the houses of about 800 detainees, are now only 15 men, most of whom have not been convicted.
