The American Bar Association is praising the recent move to prosecute five Guantanamo detainees in federal courts for their alleged role in the 9/11 attacks. “Those who plotted the terrorist attacks against the United States must be brought to justice and held fully accountable for their horrific crimes,” the ABA noted. “However, no matter how heinous the charges, the long awaited trials of these alleged terrorists must be both fair and perceived as fair, or the resulting verdicts will not be recognized as legitimate.”

In a letter sent today to Attorney General Eric Holder, the ABA advocated that “the accused must receive the competent assistance of counsel, be afforded due process and treated as innocent until proven guilty.  Americans would not want our citizens who might be arrested and charged in a foreign state to receive anything less.”

The ABA also stated that the federal courts are “well equipped” to handle trials of this magnitude. “They will provide a fair and impartial forum for bringing these accused criminals to justice and will assure transparency and accountability to victims and the international community.”

A  full copy of the letter, signed by ABA President Carolyn Lamm, is posted at: http://www.abanet.org/poladv/letters/antiterror/2009nov25_guantanamotrial_l.pdf

Additional background or interviews available upon request.

Nov. 25, 2009