Guantanamo
hearing postponed
The preliminary
hearing at Guantanamo Bay of a man accused of being an al-Qaeda paymaster
has been postponed. Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al-Qosi, 44, a Sudanese man
captured in Afghanistan, is alleged to be a bomb maker and associate
of Osama Bin Laden.
The presiding officer
of a US military commission hearing his case agreed to give his lawyer
more time to prepare. Mr Qosi is one of four men held at the US naval
base on Cuba who have appeared this week before the tribunal. He is
charged with conspiracy to commit war crimes, including attacking civilians,
murder, destruction of property and terrorism.
Dramatic
adjournment
The US claims he signed cheques for Bin Laden and was with him during
the 11 September 2001 attacks. The charges carry a life sentence. On
Friday Army Colonel Peter Brownback agreed to postpone his preliminary
hearing until 4 October. He was not required to enter a plea.
Mr Qosi is the fourth
man to face the court this week, following Australian David Hicks and
Yemenis Salim Ahmed Hamdan and Ali Hamza al-Bahlul. But tribunal was
adjourned in dramatic circumstances after Mr Bahlul dismissed his lawyer,
and demanded the right to defend himself.
His request is being
considered by a general in Washington.
He also appeared
to admit to being a member of al-Qaeda, though commission members were
warned this should not be taken as evidence.
Earlier in the week
Mr Hicks pleaded not guilty to war crimes charges in front of the commission
and challenged the impartiality of the panel hearing the tribunal. His
trial was set for 10 January.
Mr Hamdan, accused
of being Bin Laden's chauffeur, challenged the proceedings on a number
of counts, and declined to enter a plea until motions are filed in November.
The US is allowing
all of the 600 or so inmates at Guantanamo Bay to challenge their detention,
but so far only these four have been charged.
Legal challenges
to the process are mounting - from human rights groups, civilian lawyers,
and now from defendants themselves.
Source:
BBC NEWS, 2004/08/27
