Legal Commentary

Ghailani Sentenced to Life Without Parole for 1988 Embassy Bombings

By Jeralyn

A federal judge today sentenced Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani,convicted of conspiracy in the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in Africa, to life without parole.

Ghailani, whose case was moved from Guantanamo to federal criminal court in New York, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to destroy government buildings and property and acquitted of more than 280 charges of murder and conspiracy.

Mr. Ghailani received the same maximum life sentence, without parole, that he would have faced had he been convicted of all counts; and it seems likely that he will be sent to the so-called Supermax federal prison in Florence, Colo., where other defendants convicted in the same embassy plot are being held.

Ghailani's lawyers raised his torture while being held in a CIA "black hole" prison, and the fact that he had provided valuable intelligence as mitigation.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on January 25, 2011 (boomark / email).