WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- The general in charge of the military tribunals at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, dismissed half of the officers conducting the proceedings, saying they are biased.
Gen. John D. Altenburg Jr. removed two officers from the five-member tribunal plus one alternate because their service in Afghanistan made them unable to judge defendants impartially, the New York Times reported.
But trials against the first two defendants will proceed with the remaining three officers in November.
"Although it may seem like a partial victory for us, it really puts all of us in a worse position," said Joshua Dratel, the lawyer who is defending David Hicks, 29, an Australian charged with fighting for the Taliban government that controlled Afghanistan before the U.S. invasion.
Because a two-thirds majority is needed to convict, prosecutors would have needed to convince four of the five officers of the defendants' guilt; now they only need to convince two.
