JURIST - Paper Chase: 'American Taliban' Lindh seeks commuted sentence for third time

[JURIST] The family of John Walker Lindh [CNN profile; JURIST news archive] said Wednesday that a clemency petition has been filed on their son's behalf, seeking to reduce his 20-year sentence in light of the nine-month sentence handed down to Australian David Hicks [JURIST report] last week. Lindh, the American caught fighting for the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001, pleaded guilty in 2002 to supplying services to the Taliban under a plea agreement [PDF text] with prosecutors. His lawyer said Wednesday that the plea agreement was the best deal possible at the time, as Lindh was not charged with any of the terrorism-related activities alleged in his indictment [text], but that given the favorable plea deal struck by Hicks, President Bush should commute the sentence in the name of proportionality.

Lindh has petitioned Bush on two other occasions for clemency, in 2004 and 2005 [JURIST reports]. Both were denied. AP has more. The Chicago Tribune has additional coverage.

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