U.S. Marine lawyer barred from testifying

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- A Marine Corps lawyer reportedly was barred by the Bush administration from testifying before the U.S. Congress that interrogation techniques harmed a case.

Lt. Col. V. Stuart Couch, a former prosecutor at the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was to testify that severe techniques used by U.S. interrogators harmed his case against a suspected al-Qaida terrorist, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

Statements obtained from prisoners under torture and other forms of duress are not admissible in legal proceedings, and the majority of evidence used against prisoners at Guantanamo comes from statements made by detainees.

Couch informed his supervisors of his plans to testify Thursday before the House Judiciary Committee and no objections were voiced, the newspaper said.

However, he was informed via e-mail Wednesday that Pentagon general counsel William J. Haynes II "has determined that as a sitting judge and former prosecutor, it is improper for you to testify about matters still pending in the military court system, and you are not to appear before the Committee to testify tomorrow."