Getting ready to stand trial is Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four others for the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. Reportedly, Mohammed confessed to heading the September 11th plot that killed thousands along with being the one who beheaded Wall Street Journal reporter, Daniel Pearl.

Despite Marine Col. Ralph Kohlmann, chief military judge for the tribunal, warning Mohammed that the charges against him could result in the death sentence, Mohammed turned down court-appointed lawyers, choosing to represent himself. He wants to be put to death and “become a martyr.”

Regardless, under the John Adams Project of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Assn. of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Mohammed has been provided capital case experts, David Nevin and Scott McKay “to supplement the under-resourced military defense teams.” According to the ACLU, the court was speeding through arraignments before the defendants could consult with the attorneys.

Agreeing with the ACLU, (shocker), Mohammed accused Judge Kohlmann of being a demonstration of how the trials were designed to convict him.

“Evil laws are not the laws of God, laws allowing same-sexual marriage,” Mohammed told the court. “I consider all American laws under the Constitution to be evil.”

Now, call me crazy, but if you confess to murdering thousands, it’s probably safe to bet that you will face a conviction. However, the ACLU is taking a stand to protect Mohammed’s “rights.”

“At every step of the way, these commissions have denigrated our country’s historic commitment to the principle of due process and compromised America’s reputation in the eyes of the world,” said Anthony D. Romero, the ACLU executive director observing the proceedings here. He again appealed for moving the war-crimes trials to U.S. federal courts or military courts martial “where constitutional guarantees still apply.”

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