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Biden Fails a Death Penalty Abolitionist’s Most Important Test

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The mystery of Joe Biden’s views about capital punishment has finally been solved. His decision to grant clemency to 37 of the 40 people on federal death row shows the depth of his opposition to the death penalty. And his decision to leave three of America’s most notorious killers to be executed by a future administration shows the limits of his abolitionist commitment. The three men excluded from Biden’s mass clemency—Dylann Roof, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Robert Bowers—would no doubt pose a severe test of anyone’s resolve to end the death penalty. Biden failed that test.
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US court halts deal with accused mastermind of 9/11 attacks

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WASHINGTON — An appeals court in Washington on Thursday temporarily halted a deal between the alleged mastermind of the Sept 11, 2001, attacks, as well as other co-defendants, and the US Department of Justice at the request of the Biden administration, reported German news agency dpa.

The court issued a temporary stay – a provisional suspension of the proceedings – which pauses all steps related to the proposed agreement until a final decision is made.

In its application to the appeals court, the Department of Defence had argued that the harm to the government and the public would be irreparable if the guilty pleas for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-accused were accepted, as it would deny a chance for a public trial and the opportunity to seek the death penalty.

In August, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin had tried to withdraw the deals, which had initially been negotiated and approved by his department, but a military court ruled his move invalid. As a result, the agreement between the defendants and the judiciary had been back on track.

The Sept 11, 2001, terrorist attacks involved four passenger jets that were hijacked and used to target the World Trade Centre in New York City and the Pentagon defence headquarters outside Washington. Almost 3,000 people were killed.

Mohammed is believed to be the mastermind behind the attacks, coordinating communication and financing for the operation. 

He was arrested in Pakistan in 2003, and in 2006 was transferred to the prison at Guantánamo, where he was slated to face trial before a military tribunal for his involvement. However, the trial against him and multiple co-defendants had been delayed for several years. 

Together with two co-defendants, Mohammed is seeking to reach a plea agreement with the justice system in which they would plead guilty. 

The exact details of the agreement have not yet been made public. According to US media, however, the agreement would spare them the death penalty. 

Austin had initially supported the agreement, but withdrew his approval after huge backlash.

Source: themalaysianreserve.com, Staff, January 10, 2025

_____________________________________________________________________








"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde



Location: Guantánamo Bay, Cuba
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