Alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and two of his codefendants denounced their war crimes trial as illegitimate on Thursday and asked for the death penalty.
Mohammed took the center stage at the trial at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, his first public appearance since his arrest in Pakistan five years ago, according to the Los Angeles Times.
He told the judge, Marine Col. Ralph Kohlmann, that he considered all U.S. law evil and the proceedings against him "an inquisition, not a trial."
When being told that the charges against him could result in a death sentence, he replied amiably: "This is what I wish. I'm looking to be a martyr for a long time."
Two other defendants, Wallid bin Attash and Ramzi Binalshibh, also made similar remarks.
Another two defendants, Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali and Mustapha al-Hawsawi, didn't ask for the death penalty, but rejected the defense lawyers assigned to them by the U.S. military.
In February, the five were charged by the Pentagon with over 100 counts of crimes, ranging from murder to terrorism. If convicted, they could be put to death.
The five have been detained in Guantanamo since 2006 and had been jailed in secret prisons of the Central Intelligence Agency around the world before then.
At the end of 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush established war crime tribunals to try terror suspects and the issue has been a heatedly debated one within the country since then.
Human rights groups and liberals denounced the tribunals, saying they represent an abuse of human rights.
Source:Xinhua
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