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Lindh
To Be Sentenced to 20 Years, Withdraws Charges Of Mistreatment
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As part of the deal_ Lindh agreed to cooperate and withdraw any claims of mistreatment by the U.S. military.
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WASHINGTON,
September 29 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - John Walker Lindh,
the "American Taliban" captured in Afghanistan due to be
sentenced next week, is “cooperating” with authorities and should
be sentenced to a total of 20 years in jail, federal prosecutors said
Friday, September 27. In return, Lindh agreed to withdraw any claims
of mistreatment by the U.S. military.
In
the early days of his arrest, it was speculated that Lindh could be
charged with treason - a charge that could have seen him face the
death penalty.
In
documents filed in U.S. District Court, the government said Lindh was
cooperating with a plea agreement he struck last July and had
submitted to "numerous lengthy interviews by various law
enforcement and intelligence authorities."
"The
government views these proceedings to date as productive and views the
defendant as cooperative," the prosecutors said, Agence
France-Presse (AFP) reported.
They
added that the 21-year-old Lindh would undergo additional debriefing
sessions, after which he would be subjected to a lie-detector test.
The
prosecutors asked that on October 4, Lindh be sentenced to 20 years in
jail, saying that under the plea agreement he struck last July, 20
years for Lindh would be "the appropriate total sentence of
imprisonment."
Lindh
could get out in 17 years with good behavior, according to his lawyer
James Brosnahan.
In
a separate filing, defense attorneys said Lindh had sought to
cooperate fully with the government and was willing to submit to a
polygraph examination.
They
noted that Sherry Skidmore, a leading clinical psychologist who
evaluated the defendant, found no violent or dangerous behavior risk
factors in his profile.
Lindh's
attorneys also cited a report by Rohan Gunaratna, a leading expert on
the Al-Qae’da network and other extremist groups, indicating that
the young American "does not fit the profile of a
terrorist."
Gunaratna
also concluded that Lindh's "knowledge of Islam and his
understanding of the motivations that lead many young men to join
conflicts involving Islam throughout the world ...can be of great
assistance to the United States as it plans the next stage of its
campaign on terrorism."
Defense
attorneys also argued that despite his "limited formal
education," Lindh was highly intelligent and should be allowed to
pursue university studies while in jail.
Last
July, Lindh pleaded guilty to charges that he had aided the former
Afghan Taliban regime in violation of U.S. law and that he had carried
explosives to commit a felony, AFP said.
In
return, federal prosecutors agreed not to pursue the central count of
conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals and dropped all terrorism charges.
As
part of the deal, Lindh agreed to withdraw any claims of mistreatment
by the U.S. military. He has also agreed to hand over any profits from
his story to the federal government, as well as to cooperate fully
with the U.S. government, providing information and testifying at
other trials if necessary.
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