February 13, 2008	Wednesday	Safar 05, 1429

NEW YORK, Feb 12: The trials of six Guantanamo detainees being charged for their role in the Sept 11 attacks should be moved from the Guantanamo military commissions to US federal courts, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday.

The United States initiated military commission charges on Monday against six detainees, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, the alleged 9/11 mastermind, and Mohammad Al Qahtani, the alleged 20th hijacker for multiple terrorism-related crimes related to 9/11. The United States is seeking the death penalty for each of the six detainees.

“The time to bring the masterminds and planners of 9/11 to justice is long overdue, but this needs to be done in a system that has credibility,” said Jennifer Daskal, senior counterterrorism counsel at Human Rights Watch. “If trials are held in Guantanamo by flawed military commissions, the system will be on trial as much as the men being accused of horrific crimes.”

“It’s time for the United States to start rebuilding its moral authority and credibility around the world,” Daskal said. “Possibly putting someone to death based on evidence obtained through waterboarding, or after prolonged periods of sleep deprivation while being forced into painful stress positions, is not the answer.”