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Court Limits Testimony Against Awadallah

By TChris, Section Terror Trials
Posted on Tue May 31, 2005 at 09:29:51 PM EST
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by TChris

Are federal prosecutors worried that they can't convict Osama Awadallah if he has a fair trial? Awadallah is charged with committing perjury while testifying before a grand jury. The prosecutors want grand jurors to testify about their impressions of Awadallah's demeanor during his grand jury appearance. In other words, they want to call grand jurors to testify, "yep, he sure looked like he was lying, shifty eyes and all" -- or as close to that as they can come.

Awadallah was handcuffed to his chair when he appeared before the grand jury. Judge Shira Scheindlin had the good sense to protect Awadallah from prejudicially speculative interpretations of Amadallah's "demeanor" as he sat handcuffed before his inquisitor. The prosecution appealed that ruling, delaying the start of Awadallah's trial.

A small victory for Mr. Awadallah: Judge Scheindlin made the government pay for his return to California while he waits for his trial to resume.

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    Court Limits Testimony Against Awadallah | 6 comments (6 topical)
    Re: Court Limits Testimony Against Awadallah (none / 0) (#1)
    by scarshapedstar on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:31 PM EST
    Wow, what's next? Will they write "Osama" on a sign and ask the jurors "Now, how does his name make you feel?"

    Re: Court Limits Testimony Against Awadallah (none / 0) (#2)
    by Johnny on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:32 PM EST
    yeah no kidding.... God forbid the land of the free even attempts to live up to it's name...

    Re: Court Limits Testimony Against Awadallah (none / 0) (#3)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:32 PM EST
    et al - From the post: "But he was arrested as a material witness on Sept. 21, 2001, having come under suspicion when F.B.I. agents found a scrap of paper with the name "Osama" and an old telephone number of his in a car left behind at Dulles International Airport by Nawaf Alhazmi, another of the hijackers who steered a plane into the Pentagon." Kinda interesting, eh?

    Re: Court Limits Testimony Against Awadallah (none / 0) (#4)
    by Johnny on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:32 PM EST
    Yes Jim... But that should not prevent im from a FAIR trial... Which if the evidence you spoke of is true, should have no trouble convicting.

    Re: Court Limits Testimony Against Awadallah (none / 0) (#5)
    by scarshapedstar on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:32 PM EST
    I guess Jim's point is that we should just skip the whole trial thing.

    Re: Court Limits Testimony Against Awadallah (none / 0) (#6)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:32 PM EST
    et al - Nope, all I said was that it was interesting.... in response to all the comments that the poor guy was kept locked up. As a reasonable person, don't you think the evidence impressive? To use the statement made famous during Watergate, "What did he know, and when he know it?"

    Court Limits Testimony Against Awadallah | 6 comments (6 topical)