The U.S. Defense Department said on Tuesday that it was inviting news media to cover the trial of five terrorist suspects in the U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo, Cuba.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the Pentagon would allow about "four or five dozen" journalists and technical personnel from domestic and international news organizations to witness the trial set on June 5.
"Our responsibility at the Defense Department here is to make sure we have sufficient U.S. and international media there to be able to report on the proceedings, to make it as transparent as possible," he said. "We're trying to be robust in our approach. But at the same time we are trying to do it in a responsible way, inviting news organizations that in the totality will cover the world, basically."
According to the Pentagon, only a few journalists can be allowed in the courtroom, the other members of the media will be in a separate media center and watch the proceedings on a video screen.
The five suspected conspirators in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks would appear at the military court on charges of murder, terrorism and other war crimes, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind who has never shown in public since he was arrested in Pakistan on March 1, 2003.
Charges against a sixth suspect, the alleged "20th hijacker" Mohammed al-Qahtani, were dropped in April by the Pentagon official overseeing the process.
However, media will be barred to take audio recordings and picture of the proceeding, the spokesman added.
Source:Xinhua
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