Reuters: Judge orders Padilla's military jailers to testify

Judge orders Padilla's military jailers to testify
16 Feb 2007 23:41:21 GMT
Source: Reuters

By Jane Sutton

MIAMI, Feb 16 (Reuters) - U.S. military prison doctors and staff must testify in
court about the treatment of suspected al Qaeda operative Jose Padilla while he
was held by presidential order as an "enemy combatant," a judge ruled on Friday.

U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke ordered a Pentagon lawyer and seven military
and civilian prison employees to appear for questioning at a hearing on Thursday
to determine if Padilla is mentally competent to stand trial on terrorism charges.

"Things happened to him at that place. It might be an entirely pleasant experience,
I don't know," Cooke said.

Cooke ruled that since a psychiatrist's judgment that Padilla was fit to stand trial
was based partly on conversations with doctors and staff at his military brig, their
testimony was relevant for Padilla's mental competency hearing.

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