Judge Throws Out Subpoena for Unaired CBS Footage in Haditha Case

[babylonsister]

Judge Throws Out Subpoena for Unaired CBS Footage in Haditha Case

CHELSEA J. CARTER
AP News

Feb 22, 2008 17:57 EST


A judge on Friday tossed a subpoena for unaired "60 Minutes" footage that the military says is vital in its effort to prosecute a Marine sergeant in an attack that killed 24 Iraqi civilians.

Military judge Lt. Col. Jeffrey Meeks said prosecutors had other avenues to get the evidence needed in the case against Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich. Prosecutors say the interview contained admissions of crimes in the attack.

CBS attorneys had told the judge that it was in the public's interest for the subpoena to be quashed, or else potential sources could become more reluctant to talk to the media.

"It is not easy for journalists to have witnesses, who are central witnesses in cases such as these, to sit down and share their story with the general public," attorney Seth D. Berlin said. "If we become viewed as an arm of the government, nobody is going to do that."

The subpoena stems from an interview aired on March 15, 2007, report on "60 Minutes" on the November 2005 deaths in Haditha, Iraq.

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