Judge denies delay in bin Laden driver trial
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - June 27, 2008 The military judge said pretrial hearings will go forward as
planned on July 14 with the trial itself set to begin a week later
at the U.S. Navy base in Cuba, Joseph DellaVedova, a spokesman for
the Office of Military Commissions, told The Associated Press.
Navy Capt. Keith Allred issued the ruling Thursday but it was
not expected to be released by the Pentagon until later Friday.
Hamdan, a Yemeni, faces up to life in prison if convicted of
supporting terrorism. He is one of 19 Guantanamo prisoners with
charges pending against him; the U.S. has said it plans to
prosecute about 80.
Hamdan's military lawyer, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Brian Mizer, sought to
delay his trial, arguing that a June 12 Supreme Court ruling on
Guantanamo prisoners established new rights for his client. He
planned to file additional motions seeking to dismiss the charges.
The trial originally was scheduled to begin June 2. Allred
postponed it pending a decision from the court, which ultimately
ruled that all detainees the right to petition federal judges for
release.
Hamdan's lawyers admit he worked for bin Laden, but say he was
just a minor employee with no role in terrorism or attacks on the
U.S. and its allies. The government, however, says he was the
terrorist leader's personal driver, helping him evade U.S.
retribution following the Sept. 11 attacks.
