Bali bombing suspects formally charged after ‘flawed’ two-day arraignment in Guantanamo Bay
- The three men – an Indonesian and two Malaysians – appeared on Tuesday in a secure courthouse encircled by razor wire on the US base in Cuba
- Defence lawyers complained about biased and unskilled interpreters, insisting afterwards that arraignment was so flawed it may have to be repeated
The men appeared on Tuesday in a secure courthouse encircled by razor wire on the US base in Cuba amid defence complaints about courtroom interpreters that caused what was supposed to be a brief arraignment before a military judge into a two-day affair.
It was a rocky start to a case already expected to be complex because of the prolonged detention without charges for the three – an Indonesian and two Malaysians – and the brutal treatment they endured in CIA custody.
Encep Nurjaman, the Indonesian militant leader also known as Riduan Isamuddin and Hambali, and the two Malaysians face trial by military commission, which combines elements of civilian and military law, on charges that include murder, terrorism and conspiracy. They have not yet entered pleas.