Judge rejects U.S. bid to resume death‑penalty proceedings for Ramzi bin al‑Shibh

A military judge has rejected a U.S. government request to restart death‑penalty proceedings against Ramzi bin al‑Shibh at Guantánamo Bay, the court disclosed on Tuesday.

Defense lawyers say Mr. bin al‑Shibh believes his guards constantly harass him and that he suffers post‑traumatic stress from C.I.A. isolation and interrogation from 2002 to 2006. A military mental‑health panel found him mentally incompetent to stand trial in 2023 and a judge at that time set his case aside.

Col. Thomas P. Hynes said in a short order that a senior Pentagon official did not have a valid reason to seek resumption; a more detailed decision was under seal. People who read the five‑page decision said Colonel Hynes found the government had not met requirements for restarting the case, citing a defendant’s need to have the “ability to understand the nature of the proceedings and to conduct or cooperate intelligently in the defense of the case.”

Prosecutors have asked another court to set an aspirational trial start date of Jan. 11, 2027, and said they plan up to 16 weeks of pretrial hearings this year to address allegedly tainted evidence. It remains unclear from the ruling and recent hearings whether reviving Mr. bin al‑Shibh’s case would require a new assessment by a court‑ordered military mental‑health board.

Key Topics

Politics, Ramzi Bin Al-shibh, Guantánamo Bay, Cia, Death Penalty, Mental Health Panel