US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has revoked a controversial plea deal for three men accused of involvement in the 9/11 attacks. The deal, signed by the overseer of the war court proceedings, Susan Escallier, would have sentenced the accused to life in prison in exchange for guilty pleas. The decision to revoke the deal was made by Austin, who argued that such significant decisions should rest with him as the superior convening authority.
For some victims’ families, the plea deal destroyed any chance of a full trial that could have ended in death sentences and allowed them to confront the accused. Republican lawmakers, including Mitch McConnell and JD Vance, criticized the deal, with New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik accusing the Biden-Harris administration of betraying the American people. However, it was clarified that the president and vice-president had no involvement in the decision to revoke the deal.
The defendants, including alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, had been expected to formally enter their pleas under the deal. The 9/11 attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and led to a two-decade-long war in Afghanistan. Torture endured by the defendants in CIA custody has slowed the cases and made the prospect of full trials and verdicts uncertain due to the inadmissibility of evidence linked to the torture. The military commission overseeing the cases has been stuck in pre-trial hearings since 2008.
Source
Photo credit www.theguardian.com
