Page 2 of 2 <

Lawyers Want Detainees To Testify in Terror Trial

Salim Ahmed Hamdan, set to go on trial, drove for Osama bin Laden. (Anonymous - AP)

Discussion Policy

Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

Hamdan's case was allowed to proceed under a 2006 law that designed a new system, but has been plagued by allegations from the Defense Department's former chief terrorism prosecutor that it was tainted by politics and inappropriate influence from senior Pentagon officials.

The case also was slowed by a ruling from a military judge that Hamdan could not be prosecuted because he had not been first identified as an "unlawful" enemy combatant, as required by the 2006 law. That ruling was later overturned.

Frank Kendall, a lawyer who witnessed Monday's hearing as an observer for Human Rights First, an advocacy organization, contended that the military does not want detainees to testify so it can keep secret alleged torture conducted in secret CIA prisons set up abroad after Sept. 11.

"It just seems very excessive," he said of the prosecution's argument.

U.S. military officials declined to comment.

Staff researcher Julie Tate in Washington contributed to this report.

< 2