"Military prosecutors have decided to seek the death penalty for six Guantánamo detainees who are to be charged with central roles in the Sept. 11 terror attacks, government officials who have been briefed on the charges said Sunday."
Families of the victims of Sept. 11 have mixed reactions to the possible penalty by death:
"Relatives of the Sept. 11 victims have expressed differing views of potential death sentences, with some arguing that it would accomplish little other than martyring men for whom martyrdom may be viewed as a reward."
On the other hand, the sister of one of the victims said she would approve of an effort by prosecutors to seek the execution of men she blames for killing her brother “... such a case could help refocus the public’s attention on what she called the calculated brutality of the attacks, which she said has been largely forgotten." “My opinion is,” she said, “if the death of 3,000 people isn’t sufficient for a death penalty in this country, then why do we even have the death penalty?”
Why, indeed.
"Some countries have been critical of the United States’ use of the death penalty in civilian cases, and a request for execution in the military commission system would import much of that criticism to the already heated debates about the legitimacy of Guantánamo and the Bush administration’s legal approach there, some lawyers said."
"In any event, vigorous trial battles and appeals would probably mean that no execution would be imminent. “It certainly seems impossible to get this done by the end of the Bush administration,” Professor Glazier said."
Cross-reference METAXY for 'Death Penalty'
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