Terrorist to serve 66 months in jail

The Military Jury (consisting of six military officers) awarded Osama Bin Laden’s driver 66 months in jail for his involvement with supporting al Qaeda. Salim Hamdan was facing a life sentence for his activities with the organization, but with the serious charge of conspiracy being dropped against him, the court went with a lighter sentence. It is unsure if the five years he has already served will be counted towards the 66 months, but the government retains the right to hold him after his sentence is over if the war on terror continues. After spending six hours in deliberation and hearing a plea for leniency, Hamdan thanked the court for their decision and continued to apologize for his involvement with Bin Laden. The judge told Hamdan, “I hope the day comes when you return to your wife and your daughters and your country.”

So how does our first trail fair? In my view, it seems that the sentence fits the crime. It does not appear that Hamdan was actively involved with the planning of the attacks nor was on the front-line in the battle against the United States. Also, the tone of the court and the hearing itself seems to be calm, showing that everyone maintained their composure and was not acting on emotions alone. Now we need to wait and see how the court rules on some of the bigger fish being held at Gitmo. If the tone remains calm, I think the international community will not object to whatever sentences the country hands down to the enemy combatants.

Keep this in mind: today is the 10 year anniversary of the attacks in Kenya by Bin Laden, his first major attack against the United States.

Featured articles:
Yahoo News – “Guantanamo jury gives bin Laden driver 5 1/2 years”
BBC News – “Bin Laden driver given 66 months”