Word: courtroom
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...come to believe that he witnessed two modern miracles. But for Lindh, 21--raised amid the mellow comforts of California's Marin County and charged with betraying his country--another miracle came to pass last week in a northern Virginia courtroom, where defense lawyers and federal prosecutors announced a plea bargain. The deal abruptly ended the case against Lindh, who pleaded guilty to charges of aiding the Taliban and possessing explosives; in exchange, the government dropped terrorism and conspiracy charges that could have brought him three life terms plus 90 years. Federal District Judge T.S. Ellis III must approve...
Moussaoui stood in a federal courtroom in Virginia last Thursday and told Judge Leonie M. Brinkema that he was a "member of al-Qaeda" and wanted "to enter a plea today of guilty, because this will ensure to save my life." But since he had not cut a deal to avoid the death penalty, Brinkema told him to think it over and recessed proceedings for a week. Such antics have dominated the trial ever since Brinkema ruled Moussaoui could represent himself--after he claimed his court-appointed lawyers were trying to kill him. He has filed more than 60 petitions...
...military is openly displaying contempt for the trials, closing ranks and acting as if they've been betrayed. Their uniformed, bemedaled presence in the courtroom can be read as an attempt to remind the judiciary where the real power lies. At the opening hearing for five men accused of allowing a massacre at a church in Suai, the five army Chiefs of Staff attended with their wives, a dramatic reminder that those supporting the defendants are more powerful than those who will decide their fate. On Thursday morning, the trial of Yudyat Sudryato, a commander of the military's Kopassus...
...Brinkema called a halt, telling Moussaoui that her courtroom was not the place to strike a deal with the prosecution, and sent him away for a week's reflection...
...have to work hard in the coming weeks in navigating the challenging waters of a trial in which the defendant's competency to defend himself is in question, yet he insists on going it alone even as he plainly hopes to avoid the maximum sentence. But Thursday's courtroom episode appeared to confirm that the "martyrdom" chapter in the life of Zacarias Moussaoui has been closed - even if he's convicted and sentenced to death. Because "martyrdom" by definition involves choosing to die, and Moussaoui is suddenly desperate to live...