Judge classifies much of Sept. 11 trial

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- A U.S. military judge's order could keep much of the evidence in the trial of four men accused of planning the 2001 attacks from public scrutiny, lawyers say.

Stephen R. Henley, an Army colonel who is presiding over the trial, signed the order on Dec. 18, the Washington Post reported Wednesday. In addition to protecting classified information, it presumptively classifies any evidence referring to the FBI, CIA or State Department and any statements made by the defendants.

The court would even be able to classify some information already publicly released, the newspaper said.

Three of the defendants, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, are representing themselves, and any statements they make would be classified.

"These rules turn the presumption of openness on its head, making what is perhaps the most important trial in American history presumptively closed to the public and the press," said Jennifer Daskal, Human Rights Watch senior counterterrorism counsel. "If these rules applied in all cases, there would be no such thing as an open trial in America."