(Chicago Tribune) The Army judge in the military commission trial for Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four other suspected Sept. 11 plotters has issued a sweeping ruling that will keep secret any details about the defendants’ arrests, their treatment in custody and whether they were subjected to harsh interrogation techniques that some civil rights advocates have described as torture.
The order, signed by Col. James L. Pohl on Dec. 6 and made public Wednesday, represents a clear victory for U.S. military and Department of Justice prosecutors in the opening round of pretrial fights with defense lawyers before the first trial related to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks begins. The trial could start early next year.
