Military Leaders Join Effort Urging Obama, Congress to Put Politics Aside as Administration's 9/11 Trials Decision Nears

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Washington, DC – Just two days after Attorney General Eric Holder told Congress that the Obama Administration will decide where to try accused 9/11 terrorists "within weeks, not months," military leaders are urging the President to not waver in his administration's decision to hold these men accountable in federal courts.

"These guys are not warriors. They are thugs and they deserve to be treated like any other common criminal, not as legitimate soldiers," said Rear Admiral Don Guter, USN (ret.). "Our federal civilian courts have a proven track record of delivering the swift and sure justice that Americans expect and deserve. Attorney General Holder made clear that federal courts are best venue to prosecute these cases and the administration should not waiver in its determination to do so."

Guter will join a number of other retired military leaders, former federal prosecutors and 9/11 victims’ family members on Capital Hill today to make that case in a series of meetings with lawmakers and Justice Department officials. He is among the military leaders who stood with the President in the Oval Office as Executive Orders to close the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and end the use of torture were signed. That group has long support trying accused terrorists in federal courts, a venue that deprives Al Qaeda members of the warrior status they crave. Guter is also one of nearly 140 signatories to Beyond Guantanamo: A Bipartisan Declaration, an effort coordinated by Human Rights First and the Constitution Project.  Other signatories include former members of Congress, diplomats, federal judges and prosecutors, high-level military and government officials, as well as national security and foreign policy experts, bar leaders, and family members of 9/11 victims.

According to Human Rights First, regular civilian courts have tried hundreds of terrorism cases since 9/11 and have secured convictions in over 195 cases involving connections to Islamist extremist groups. In contrast, in the eight years since President Bush first authorized the military commissions, these commissions have brought only two cases to trial and yielded only three convictions. Two of the men convicted in military commission have already been released from prison. Moreover, the administration has yet to issue rules to implement the new law Congress passed in November to govern military commissions.

In a July 2009 update of the report In Pursuit of Justice, Human Rights First studied 119 terrorism cases with 289 defendants and filed since 2001 in the normal federal court system. This examination of the ability of federal courts to meet the challenges of international terrorism prosecutions was researched and written by former federal prosecutors. It concluded that federal courts are capable of handling these complex cases and are by far the best forum for trying terrorists and securing convictions.

To schedule a time to speak with Guter, please contact Brenda Bowser Soder at 202/370-3323 or bowsersoderb@humanrightsfirst.org.

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