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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings & Torture |
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March 12th,
2009 - Haditha Prosecutor Argues for Release of Interview |
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Haditha Prosecutor Argues
for Release of Interview From the Associated Press March 12, 2009 San Diego, CA - Footage of a
CBS "60 Minutes" interview with a Marine squad leader accused of
killing 24 Iraqis should be disclosed because newsgathering protections do
not apply to journalists within the military justice system, a prosecutor
argued. Marine Capt. Nicholas
Gannon, who is pursuing charges against Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, argued
during a Camp Pendleton court hearing Wednesday that there is no case law
extending First Amendment protections to journalists in military court
matters. "The question is unresolved
on reporter privilege and it's not for this court to decide," Gannon
told Lt. Col. Jeffrey Meeks, who is presiding over the case. Military prosecutors have
said they believe the interview given by Wuterich contains admission of
crimes in the attack in Haditha, Iraq, on Nov. 19, 2005. CBS attorney Carl Benedetti,
however, asserted that the portions of the interview that were not broadcast
contain no material relevant to the prosecution and argued that a wide range
of federal court case law protects journalists from being compelled to
disclose all of their work product. "The case does involve
reporter privilege," Benedetti said. "This is a constitutional
issue and freedom of the press is important. The First Amendment isn't
novel." The network did not oppose
an appellate court ruling that directed Meeks to review the unaired material
in private. At the end of Wednesday's
court session, Benedetti handed the judge eight compact discs containing
about four hours of material the network did not broadcast. Wuterich, 28, of Meriden,
Conn., faces voluntary manslaughter and other charges in the Haditha deaths,
which happened after a roadside bomb hit a Marine convoy, killing a Humvee
driver and wounding two other Marines. External link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/03/12/state/n015837D55.DTL |