Even the victims families are unhappy with the 9/11 tribunals

Now, it needs to be made clear that this only a tiny sample of the relatives of the victims.

33 relatives of those who died in the 9/11 attacks have written an open letter stating their opposition to these military tribunals, claiming they are illegitimate and politically motivated. This is a bold step from individuals who are no doubt seeking justie for the terrible tragedy.

Not everyone is as happy. Other relativies of the victims, those brought to witness the recent tribunal hearings have praised the tribunals or giving the accused some sort of a fair trial.

The statement, posted on the American Civil Liberties Union website is pretty broad and actually appears to criticize a lot of things about the process. Including, of course, the fact that the relatives brought to witness the tribunal hearings are chosen by lottery. These individuals are claiming that the relatives brought to Guantanamo (the ones who praised it as fair) were not representative of the rest of their views.

To be honest, I find this next statement the most intriguing:

We believe that the secretive and unconstitutional nature of these proceedings
deprive us of the right to know the full truth about what happened on 9/11.
These prosecutions have been politically motivated from the start, are designed
to ensure quick convictions at the expense of due process and transparency, and
are structured to prevent the revelation of abusive interrogations and torture
engaged in by the U.S. government. Unfortunately, any verdict borne of these
proceedings will lack legitimacy and leave us wondering if true justice has been
served. No comfort or closure can come from military commissions that ignore the
rule of law and stain America's reputation at home and abroad.

We here at Think Legal wholeheartedly support due process and access to justice. In fact, I strongly believe that a transparent and truly fair judicial process would do significantly more to improve the American image in the world than many other initiatives. It is a proud way of demonstrating this "freedom" that American likes to claim as their heritage. Further, it serves to reassure the families of the victims and the American people in general that the person charged truly did commit the crime.

This in no way should accuse the horrible crimes that were perpetrated, it simply means that extra care should be taken to ensure that the right person is indeed convicted. To paraphrase the old axiom at the core of many Western judicial systems: It is better to let ten guilty men go free than to convict one innocent one.

Again, the President-Elect has committed to closing this prison and bringing the accused to stand trial in civilian courts. This will help shore up the deplorable degredation of the rule of law in the last few years, and will hopefully yield a just result for all involved.

[Source: BBC News]