Thursday, June 03, 2010
Brigadier General Mark Martins, deputy commander for U.S. detention operations
Due process of law (of sorts) is becoming available to detainees held in Afghanistan. With approval from American officials, a local court presided over by three Afghan judges held the first hearing involving those accused of being insurgent threats.
However, the proceedings lacked some rather important elements—such as translators for the defendants, a farmer and his three sons.
The four men, accused of participating in bombing attacks, speak Pashto, and had little or no idea what was said during the hearing because it was held in the Dari language, and the only translating taking place was into English, for the benefit of Western military and media in attendance.
Defense lawyers also complained that they were given only a few days to review the cases before the hearing commenced.
The chief judge agreed to delay the rest of the proceedings in order to give the defendants’ legal counsel more time to prepare, and to find a Pashto translator.
The U.S. is hoping the hearing will lead to the first trial of detainees in Afghanistan—and to the Kabul government taking over control of the detention facility at Bagram Air Base, where more than 800 Afghans are being held.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
First Hearing Opens for Afghans Detained by US (by Heidi Vogt, Associated Press)
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