The decision to revoke the plea deals has drawn criticism from some members of Congress, including Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, who has called on the Defense Secretary to reinstate the agreements.
The Pentagon has revoked plea deals that were struck with three of the terrorists behind the September 11, 2001, attacks, drawing widespread condemnation from family members of victims, lawmakers, and the public.
The plea deals, which were reportedly reached with Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin 'Attash, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, allegedly involved the terrorists avoiding the death penalty. However, the details of the agreements were not made public, and the Defense Department has not released any information about the reasons for their revocation.
Pentagon Revokes Plea Deals for 9/11 Plotters, Sparking Backlash
The news of the revoked plea deals has been met with outrage by family members of 9/11 victims, who have expressed fear that they may not get justice for their loved ones.
"You know, after seeing this, like, I'm so afraid we're not going to get justice for my cousin and all the thousands killed that day and their families," said Joe Connor, whose cousin was killed on 9/11.
Pentagon Revokes Plea Deals for 9/11 Plotters, Sparking Backlash
Lawmakers have also criticized the decision to revoke the plea deals. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., has pleaded with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to reinstate the agreements, calling the revocation "deeply disappointing" and "a denial of finality and justice to 9/11 families."
"I urge Secretary Austin to reverse this deeply disappointing decision, which denies finality and justice to 9/11 families and exposes yet again the lack of independence that has haunted the military commissions from the outset," Durbin wrote in a public statement.
Pentagon Revokes Plea Deals for 9/11 Plotters, Sparking Backlash
Senator Mike Lee, R-Utah, called the plea deals a "slap in the face to America and her honored dead."
Following the backlash, Defense Secretary Austin announced that he was withdrawing the plea agreements and relieving the official who had coordinated the deals under his authority.
"I have determined that, in light of the significance of the decision to enter into pre-trial agreements with the accused in the above-referenced case, responsibility for such a decision should rest with me as the superior convening authority under the Military Commissions Act of 2009," Austin wrote in an order.
The revocation of the plea deals is likely to further delay the already protracted proceedings against the accused 9/11 plotters. The military commissions have been plagued by legal challenges and delays since their inception, and it is unclear when or if the trials will ever be completed.
The decision to revoke the plea deals has also raised questions about the independence and fairness of the military commissions. Critics argue that the commissions are politically motivated and do not provide a fair trial for the accused terrorists.
The Defense Department has defended the military commissions, saying that they are a necessary and appropriate way to try terrorists who cannot be tried in civilian courts. However, the recent decision to revoke the plea deals has called the independence and fairness of the commissions into question once again.
