Yemeni Sentenced to Life at Guantanamo Trial
A United States military jury in Guantanamo has sentenced a Yemeni man, Ali Hamza al-Bahlul, to life in prison for war crimes and for making a propaganda video for al-Qaeda. He has been convicted of multiple charges, including conspiracy, solicitation to commit murder and providing material to terrorist organizations. There are a total of 35 counts against al-Bahlul. Of the 35 counts, one count of conspiracy and one count of providing material support for terrorism were dismissed. Al-Bahlul’s trial marks the second war crimes trial to be held at Guantanamo. (The first was for Salim Hamdan, who was convicted in August and sentenced to 5.5 years in prison).
Al-Bahlul called the tribunal “a farce” and refused to present a defense, and consequently would not even answer to questions from the judge. Prosecutors acknowledged that al-Bahlul had previously admitted that he was al-Qaeda’s media chief and thereby made propaganda videos. More importantly, prosecutors claim that it was those videos that helped to inspire the 9/11 attacks.
After the trial, al-Bahlul broke his silence telling the court “we mill fight any government that governs America…We are the only ones on Earth who will stand against you…”
The story of al-Bahlul illustrates a particular case for a type of dual and conflicting mentality that exists within Yemen’s borders, especially given the fact the country has been dealing with terrorism more recently. Yemen seems to be caught up in a struggle. On one hand, it seems to want to exert itself as a key player in the international spectrum and overcome problems such as poverty and terrorism, yet on the other hand, there is a very corrupt government. Cases such as this trial at Guantanamo help bring these issues to light.
Jenna Hootstein
