Charges to be Presented Today in Posada Carriles Trial

Charges to be Presented Today in Posada Carriles TrialWashington, Jan 11. -United States federal attorneys on Tuesday will present arguments in the trial of international terrorist Luis Posada Carriles solely for immigration crimes, despite the fact that he is wanted in several countries for other crimes.

The trial, which began Monday, has been described as outrageous and hypocritical due to the White House's double standards on terrorism.

At the El Paso, Texas, court, Posada faces 11 charges of perjury and obstruction of justice in several immigration procedures.

Brian Becker, national director of the ANSWER coalition, accused Washington of hypocrisy for preparing an immigration trial for Posada Carriles when he should be tried for his terrorist crimes.

Some sources say that if Posada were to be put on trial for terrorist actions, he might talk too much.

"Posada has a lot to say and that is a big problem for the United States," Becker said.

Witnesses called to testify in his immigration trial include two Cuban officials and a forensic physician involved in investigations related to Di Celmo's death, U.S. immigration officials, and a journalist to whom Posada Carriles confessed his crimes.

According to Jose Pertierra, the attorney representing Venezuela in its extradition request, Posada Carriles' defense tried to delay the process to avoid prosecution.

Pertierra told Prensa Latina that if Posada Carriles is found guilty of lying about his relationship with the individudals who planted the bombs in Havana, the United States would be obliged to try him for being the mastermind of those crimes.

Activists who held a mock trial over the weekend said Posada would be tried on minor charges of perjury and fraud and not for his terrorist actions.

Posada Carriles' criminal record includes the mid-flight explosion of a Cuban passenger plane that killed all 73 people aboard in 1976, and his escape from a Venezuelan prison where he was serving time for that crime.

For the governments of Cuba and Venezuela, the case is a show that is being performed by attorneys of the George W. Bush administration (2001-2009) to counter criticism of the U.S. government for not doing anything against a self-confessed terrorist.

The trial will be presided over by Judge Kathleen Cardone, who accepted reports from Cuban authorities on investigations regarding the bomb attacks on Cuban tourist facilities in 1997 and 1998. (Prensa Latina)