JURIST - Paper Chase: Guantanamo Bay detainee asks to boycott trial at preliminary hearing

[JURIST] An Afghan Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] detainee alleged that he has been mistreated in custody and asked to boycott his upcoming trial at his first pretrial hearing before a military commission Wednesday. Mohammed Jawad [DOD materials] is charged [press release] with attempted murder [charge sheet, PDF] and intentionally causing serious bodily harm for allegedly throwing a grenade at two US soldiers and an interpreter in their vehicle on December 17, 2002 in Kabul. Jawad did not enter a plea Wednesday. A judge said that he could still be tried and convicted in absentia should he refuse to attend future proceedings. AP has more.

Jawad was the fourth Guantanamo detainee to be formally charged with war crimes under the 2006 Military Commissions Act [PDF text]. Military commission cases [DOD materials] have now been initiated against 14 current or former detainees.

For a one-stop snapshot of the latest legal news that matters, with breaking documents, new legal videos, live law-related webcasts, commentary by expert law professors and more - all updated through the day in real time, with no ads and no registration barriers - visit JURIST's homepage and check back often...