Another fixed trial at Gitmo

I've been writing for years about how the military tribunals at Guantanamo are essentially kangaroo courts, and how they routinely stack the deck in violation of international law.

And now we see another case in point, in which a Gitmo prosecutor got fed up and ended up testifying for the defense.

The Associated Press reports:

A former prosecutor testified [last month] that breakdowns in the delivery of evidence to Guantanamo detainees could lead to wrongful convictions, saying his experience changed him from a "true believer" to feeling "truly deceived."

Testifying in the war crimes case he led before quitting this month, Army Lt. Col. Darrel Vandeveld said the government has not provided exculpatory evidence to lawyers for Mohammed Jawad, who is accused in a grenade attack that injured two American soldiers.

He said the embattled military tribunal system may not be capable of delivering justice for Jawad or the victims.

"They are not served by having someone who may be innocent be convicted of the crime," said Vandeveld, who testified by video link from Washington.

Vandeveld, the second former prosecutor to testify on behalf of a detainee this year, said the problem affects cases throughout the Pentagon's system for prosecuting alleged terrorists at this U.S. Navy base.

So they're not seeking justice, they're just seeking convictions.

This despite a study by Seton Hall University which found that 55 percent of Gitmo detainees are not determined to have committed any hostile acts against the United States or its coalition allies, and only eight percent were characterized as al-Qaeda fighters.

It brings to mind the old phrase, "Kill them all and let God sort them out."

Our tax dollars at work.

God bless America.