Acquitted terror suspect can now discuss legal proceedings against him - mostly
Jan 30th, 2008 by Rob
A federal judge said Tuesday that an acquitted suspect in a terror plot to destroy the Sears Tower will now be allowed to speak freely about the government’s attempts to deport him.
Haiti citizen and U.S. legal resident Lyglenson Lemorin had been accused of being a member of the Liberty City Seven group charged with planning attacks on the Chicago landmark and the FBI headquarters in Miami. Following his acquittal, Lemorin was barred from publicly discussing any element of the legal proceedings against him because a new jury is being selected for a retrial of the other 6 suspects.
Tuesday’s updated ruling by U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard allows Lemorin to speak openly about the deportation proceedings, which are still in motion despite his acquittal of the terror charges. The gag order is still in effect for discussion of the trial itself, its verdict and anything related to the pending case of the other defendants. The order also extends to Lermorin’s attorneys.
The Miami Herald summarized the court’s justification for the original gag order, issued January 4:
Immigration experts said that under the USA Patriot Act, adopted after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a lawful U.S. resident such as Lemorin may still be locked up and possibly deported on terrorism-related charges — even if they cannot be proved beyond a reasonable doubt in federal court.”
The case raises questions about the transparency of terror trials, a hot issue this day and age with the allegations surrounding the rights of prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay and other military facilities. Lemorin’s situation has the added complexity of the court’s decision to limit what he can say in his own defense – a right that many observers contend is a cornerstone of American democracy that is being curtailed in the war on terror.
