Terrorists On Trial: A Performative Perspective

603 Pages·2016·2.417 MB·English

by  Beatrice de Graaf, Alex P. Schmid

A B
Terrorism trials are an exceptional opportunity for better understanding
l e
e a
and, hence, countering terrorism, since they are often the only place x t
r
where most if not all of the actors of a terrorist incident meet again, and P. ic
S e
where the media report and broadcast their respective accounts. A c d
h e
nexus between terrorist violence, law enforcement and public opinion, m
G
terrorism trials showcase justice in progress and thus demonstrate to id r
a
the world how terrorism suspects are treated under national law. | a
e f
d
i
This volume views terrorism trials as a form of theatre, where the t
o
“show” that a trial may offer can develop often unexpected dynamics, r
s
which at times might inconvenience the government. Seeing terrorism
trials as a stage where legal instruments are used (and abused) to argue
T
the validity of contested political constructs, this study presents a
performative perspective to draw attention to the mechanisms and E
effects of terrorism trials in and outside the courtroom.
R
With a special focus on how the power of these performances may in R
turn shape new narratives of justice and/or injustice, it offers vital
O
insights into terrorism trials directed involving different types of
terrorism suspects, from left-wing to ethno-nationalist and jihadist R
terrorists, in Spain, Russia, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United TERRORISTS
I
States.
S
T
Beatrice de Graaf holds a chair in the History of International Relations S
& Global Governance at Utrecht University. She was co-founder of the

Centre for Terrorism and Counterterrorism at Leiden University, O
ON TRIAL
publishes on security-related themes and is currently working on secu-
N
rity in the nineteenth century for an ERC Project SECURE.

T
Alex P. Schmid is an historian by training. He was Officer-in-Charge of
the Terrorism Prevention Branch of UNODC and held a chair in Interna- R
tional Relations at the University of St. Andrews. Currently he is Editor-
I
in-Chief of Perspectives on Terrorism and Research Fellow at the
A
International Centre for Counter-Terrorism in The Hague. A PERFORMATIVE PERSPECTIVE
L
Edited by
Beatrice de Graaf & Alex P. Schmid
leiden university press
9 789087 282400 lup
www.lup.nl
TerroristsonTrial

TERRORISTS ON TRIAL
APerformativePerspective
EditedbyBeatricedeGraafandAlexP.Schmid
LeidenUniversityPress
ThepublicationofthisbookwasmadepossiblebyagrantfromtheNetherlandsInstituteforAdvanced
StudyintheHumanitiesandSocialSciences(nias)wheretheeditorsandseveralofthechapterauthors
conductedtheirresearchforthisvolume.
Coverdesign:StudioJandeBoer
Coverillustration:italy—april01:Trialof63RedBrigadeSuspectsonApril1982(PhotobyKeystone-
France/Gamma-KeystoneviaGettyImages)
Lay-out:TATZetwerk,Utrecht
isbn 9789087282400
e-isbn 9789400602359(e-pdf)
e-isbn 9789400602366(e-pub)
nur 824
©BeatricedeGraafandAlexP.Schmid/LeidenUniversityPress,2016
Allrightsreserved.Withoutlimitingtherightsundercopyrightreservedabove,nopartofthisbookmay
bereproduced,storedinorintroducedintoaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyformorbyany
means(electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recordingorotherwise)withoutthewrittenpermissionof
boththecopyrightownerandtheauthorofthebook.
ThisbookisdistributedinNorthAmericabytheUniversityofChicagoPress(www.press.uchicago.edu).
Contents
TablesandFigures·7
1.Introduction:APerformativePerspectiveonTerrorismTrials·9
BeatricedeGraaf,incooperationwithLiesbethvanderHeide
2.Terrorism,PoliticalCrimeandPoliticalJustice·23
AlexP.Schmid
3.TheTrialofVeraZasulichin1878·51
AlexP.Schmid
4.Stalin’s1936ShowTrialagainstthe‘Trotzkyite-ZinovieviteTerroristCentre’·93
AlexP.Schmid
5.‘IsThereanyJusticeLeftinthisCountry?’TheiraonTrialinthe1970s·173
JoostAugusteijn
6.GermanyConfrontstheBaader-MeinhofGroup.TheStammheimTrial(1975–
1977)andItsLegacies·231
JaccoPekelderandKlausWeinhauer
7.NationalSecurityonTrial:TheCaseofZacariasMoussaoui,2001–2006·311
Geert-JanKnoops
8.GuantánamoasTheatre:MilitaryCommissionsasaPerformanceintheCourtof
PublicOpinion,2003–2004·345
FredL.Borch
9.TheHofstadGrouponTrial:SentencingtheTerroristRisk,2005–2014·371
BeatricedeGraaf
6 | contents
10.SupportingPrisonersorSupportingTerrorists:The2008TrialofGestorasPro
AmnistíainSpain·419
CarolijnTerwindt
11.PerformingJustice,CopingwithTrauma:TheTrialofAndersBreivik,2012·457
ToreBjørgo,BeatricedeGraaf,LiesbethvanderHeide,CatoHemmingbyandDaan
Weggemans
12.Conclusion·503
BeatricedeGraaf
13.LiteratureonTerrorismTrials—ASelectiveBibliography·529
14.NotesonContributors·577
15.Index·583
Tables and Figures
Tables
2.1.Typologyofcrime(adaptedfromLeeEllisandAnthonyWalsh)·25
2.2.Severityofsentencesforterrorismandothercharges(usa)2001–2009·42
6.1.ActorsattheStammheimtrial·288
11.1.OpiniononBreivik’ssanity/accountability·482
11.2.OpiniononthemediaattentiontoBreivik’sperspective·484
11.3.Judicialgoals:importantandattained·486
Figures
8.1.Diagramshowingprosecutiontheoryofterroristconspiracy·356
12.1.Acommunicativelyorientedtypologyofterrorismtrials·513

1. Introduction: A PerformativePerspectiveon
Terrorism Trials
BeatricedeGraaf,incooperationwithLiesbethvanderHeide1
1.1. Introduction2
On6May2011,WashingtonPostjournalistJeffGreenfieldpaintedavividpictureof
whatwouldhavehappenedhadoperationGeronimo(whichresultedinthekillingof
OsamaBinLaden)resultedincapturingtheleaderofAlQaedaalive.Aftertheinitial
congratulations,theconsequencesmightsoonhavecreatedproblems.PuttingBin
LadenontrialformassmurderinaNewYorkfederalcourt—asidefromthefactthatit
isveryunlikelythatCongresswouldallowthisinthefirstplace—wouldhavecaused
majorheadaches:
…whatifinformationabouthislocationhadbeenobtainedthrough‘enhanced
interrogationtechniques’andwasruledinadmissible?WhatifBinLadenactedashis
ownlawyer,turningthetrialintoamonths-longdenunciationofAmerica?Whatif
oneholdoutresultedinahungjury?[…]AmilitarycommissionatGuantánamoBay,
then?Theprocesswasagonizinglyslow(onlyfivecasesconcludedinnineyears),anda
deathsentenceforBinLadenwouldmeanyearsofappeals.3
Moreover,legalquestionswould,accordingtoGreenfield,havebeen‘nothingnextto
thesecurityconsequencesoftakingBinLadenalive’.Whatifanyterroristorganisation
worldwideseizedanelementaryschool,threateningtokillallofthechildrenunless
BinLadenwerereleased?
Utilisingcriminallawandultimatelymakinguseofciviliancourtstotry,sentence
andimprisonterroristshasoftenbeencriticisedasaviableoptionincountering
terrorism. Former Vice President Dick Cheney vehemently opposed organising
terrorismtrialsinciviliancourtsintheUnitedStates(us).InareactiontoAttorney
GeneralEricHolder’sdecisiontoprosecuteKhalidSheikhMohammed(ksm)beforea
civiliancourtin2009,helamented:‘Ican’tforthelifeofmefigureoutwhatHolder’s
intenthereisinhavingKhalidSheikhMohammedtriedinciviliancourtotherthanto
havesomekindofshowtrial.’4Cheneyobjectedtothisdecision,arguingthatgiving