25 YEARS, NO FINALITY
Posted on September 3, 2026 Leave a Comment
The playbook behind the military commission case of the 9/11 planners at Guantanamo Bay reveals a system built to delay, not deliver justice
In the days leading up to the twenty-fifth Anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the U.S. government provides neither finality nor the meaningful empathy that victims and families deserve.
The case concerning four of the five accused planners of the September 11th attacks is one of the longest-running capital cases in the U.S. Military Commission system (preceded by the U.S.S. Cole Case). It has become the most complex, most litigated, and longest-running war crimes prosecution case in U.S. history. The trailer-courtroom encased in barbed wire at Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, known as “Camp Justice,” has served as much as a classroom for the judicial review of constitutional law as a courtroom for the subverson of civil liberties. Since the military commission’s formal charges were filed, the United States v. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, et. al. remains deadlocked in pre-trial hearings, procedural motions, and unresolved torture-related suppression issues adjudicated by five judges (plus one interim judge) and four presidents spanning six administrations.
Constitutional rights are primarily negative liberties, freedoms defined by the absence of interference of external constraints described as freedom to. They restrict what the government can do by shaping litigation. The constitution is designed to framework and limit what governments may not do and what rights litigants can invoke such as fair trial rights. One exception to this legal measuring stick is the case of the 9/11 detainees who planned the murder of my husband, David Garcia, and 2,976 civilians murdered in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C. Government oversight and judicial independence have been whitewashed with political opportunism and ignorance. Boundaries have been shifted to the whims of matters of national interest, making this the single most complicated case the United States has ever litigated.
I’ve attended seven weeks of hearings at the Naval Base Guantanamo Bay from November 2023-March 2026. This March I observed a week of testimony from the final government witness, FBI special agent Steve Gaudin regarding bin Attash’s motion to suppress statements he made to the FBI in 2007 and 2008. In July, I met with Defense Victim Outreach personnel and attended an in-person Town Hall update meeting at the Office of the Prosecutor in Tyson’s Corner, VA.
What is the U.S. Military Commission
The U.S. Military Commissions is a military court of law traditionally used to try law of war and other offenses. It’s supposed to be adjudicated independent of the government. An alien enemy belligerent who has engaged in hostilities, or who has purposefully and materially supported hostilities against the United States, its coalition partners or was a part of al-Qaeda, is subject to trial by military commission under the Military Commissions Act of 2009.
Players in the Military Commission
The military tribunal system comprises about eighteen overseers, beginning with the Secretary of Defense and branching out to offices of the Convening Authority, Chief Judge and Trial Judiciary offices, Defense Legal Services Agency, and Chief Prosecutor. Players, particularly in the 9/11 case, are so numerous and diverse in interests that it’s destroyed by its own procedural mass, collapsing under its own weight akin to the fated towers themselves. The sheer structural mastodon mirrors a Dickens “Bleak House” (1853) tale of institutional sclerosis, producing a case that cannot be adjudicated. A system so clogged with actors, procedures, competing interests, bureaucratic layers, and attrition that it has become parasitic, functioning as a host that only exists to sustain the actors feeding on it.
Why the government created the detention center at GTMO: The Bush administration attempted to use Guantanamo Bay as a way to deny habeas corpus and due process rights from the captured detainees. It also used the overarching War on Terror as a tool to attempt to consolidate power in the executive branch and push back against limitations on presidential authority.
Why it’s taking so long
This war-crimes case—where the defendants may face the death penalty if convicted—is supposed to be adjudicated by the U.S. Military Commission. The Executive Branch created and controls the military commission through the *Department of Defense (Pentagon), and the boundaries between its political interests and the supposed independence of the Military Commissions judiciary have been blurred. The constitutional questions at stake are mired in civil, procedural, and historical ambiguities.
The Guantanamo capital case litigation hearings did not meaningfully begin until 2019, when the prosecution completed its production of classified discovery to the defense—eight years after bringing the charges and thirteen years after first detentions of the current defendants at Guantanamo. The panoply of discovery issues include: CIA black-site evidence, torture, Executive Branch miscalculation and symbolic policymaking, multi-agency involvement, secret law https://www.brennancenter.org/, the crude and remote location of the court, rotating personnel, and the complexities inherent in capital litigation in which the accused are given representation by defense teams funded by the Department of Defense. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/17/us/politics/911-trial-guantanamo.html.
Of the nine sessions (eighteen weeks) of pre-trial hearings scheduled for 2026, only two have occurred, for a total of two weeks—in March and May.
To date there are 57,000 pages of transcripts— 10,000 classified, 515 pages of appellate exhibits, 569,106 pages of motions and filings. All the transaction records are on file. There is video evidence, al-Qaeda propaganda, evidence combed from hotel dumpsters, from cars near airports, found in Afghanistan, Pakistan, the UAE (where 15 of the 19 hijackers transferred through), Osama bin Laden’s house, and DNA samples. Voluntary and proud statements from KSM were among the evidence seized. All five detainees gave confession statements to FBI “clean teams” at Guantanamo Bay in 2007 and 2008. There have been 184 witnesses, including enlisted people who were injured. Witnesses in the USS Cole case will also serve on the 9/11 case.
THE ACCUSED
The five formally charged al-Qaeda 9/11 planners are detained under the Law of War as “The Accused,” not an indictment. According to the Law of War, the accused can be detained until the end of hostilities. In 2009, “they answered to the charges with pride,” noted lead prosecutor, Clay Trivett. Meaning they can be detained in legal limbo until al-Qaeda and state-sponsors of terrorism enter into a peace treaty with the United States?
- Khalid Shaikh Mohammed – KSM (Pakistan): “The Planner of the Planes Operation.” Proposed the plan to Osama bin Laden in 1996 and oversaw the plot. Entered plea agreement July 31, 2024.
- Walid bin Attash – WBA (Saudi Arabia): “The Trainer” – Brought box cutters on board the planes for testing and training two of the hijackers and researched flights and timetables. Entered plea agreement July 31, 2024.
- Ramzi bin al-Shibh – RBS (Yemen): Traveled to get jihadist training in Afghanistan and Organized the Germany cell of hijackers. Was going to be a leader of a pilot group. Became a conduit of communication between KSM and the hijackers. Severed from the case, due to mental incompetence to stand trial—Sept. 21, 2023. He may return to the case if deemed competent.
- Ammar al-Baluchi aka Ali Abd Aziz Ali – AAA (Kuwait, Pakistan): Transferred funds from the UAE to the hijackers in the United States for his uncle (KSM). He also intended to be a hijacker. Continued with suppression litigation
- Mustafa al Hawsawi – MAH (Saudi Arabia): Aiding the hijackers by helping some of them with finances, travel, and education on American culture. Entered plea agreement July 31, 2024.
THE CHARGES
KSM, WBA, AAA, RBS, and MAH are charged jointly, in their alleged roles in the September 11 2001 attacks against the United States. The accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
- Charge I: Violation Of 10 U.S.C. – Conspiracy: The accused entered into an agreement with leaders of al-Qaeda to aid, counsel, or command to murder multitudes of civilians. The accused knew the unlawful purpose. The accused knowingly committed an overt act in order to accomplish the same objective or purpose of the agreement or enterprise.
- Charge II: Violation Of 10 U.S.C. – Attacking Civilians
- Charge III: Violation Of 10 U.S.C. – Attacking Civilian Objects
- Charge 1V: Violation Of 10 U.S.C. – Murder In Violation Of Law Of War
- Charge V: Violation Of 10 U.S.C. – Destruction Of Property In Violation Of The Law Of War
- Charge VI: Violation Of 10 U.S.C. – Hijacking Or Hazarding A Vessel Or Aircraft
- Charge VII: Violation Of 10 U.S.C – Terrorism
THE JUDGE
Lt. Col. Michael Schrama was appointed as the 5th military judge to preside over the 9/11 case in December 2025. He has inherited 9 major suppression issues and 95 individual rulings required to resolve those issues He must address all of the suppression issues requiring the 95 separate rulings related to three of the accused—AAA, WBA, MAH.
Completion of the evidentiary suppression hearings is considered stage 1 of the proceedings. Now the judge wants to get to stage 2—The written findings, conclusions, and rulings phase of the hearings. Victims and victim family members have voiced disappointment in the cancelling of proceedings at Guantanamo Bay since the final week of hearings that took place in May. The prosecution states “it’s better to not have hearings until spring 2027 so the judge has time to settle the 9 issues and write the 95 rulings.” However, on August 27th, the military judge announced a trial scheduling order for June 5, 2028, which gives him greater latitude to rule on the suppression issues and hear motions from both prosecution and defense teams.
CURRENT PROSECUTION POSITION
The prosecution has completed suppression litigation regarding AAA. This can only occur after the judge issues rulings on the 95 suppression-related issues, which the prosecution encourages the judge to complete. Meeting the many pre-trial deadlines and motions recently ordered by the judge leading up to the trial is the current focus of the prosecution.
The lead prosecutor, Clay Trivett, has also recently taken over as lead prosecutor for the United States v. Nashiri in the U.S.S. Cole bombing case in addition to the 9/11 case. A case that has also met numerous delays, as the longest-running military case in U.S. history. A case in which KSM is also charged with planning. Evidence in regard to this case will likely point to facts in the 9/11 case.
CURRENT DEFENSE POSITION
Defense motions mainly related to AAA comprise most of the suppression-related issues.
There are two separate pre-trial agreement petitions filed—one for Walid bin ‘Attash and a second joint petition by Khalid Shaikh Mohammad and Mustafa al Hawsawi. These three defense teams have filed a Writ of Certiorari to challenge validity of the government’s petition for mandamus granted by the D.C. Court on July 11, 2025.
It is unclear if the case has returned to a capital death penalty trial. Because with the withdrawal of the PTA’s and the D.C. court’s grant for the government’s writ of mandamus, the PTA’s are now invalid— the judge has determined that the double jeopardy clause is no longer plausible, which the defense is appealing to the Supreme Court.
PRE-TRIAL AGREEMENTS RECAP
Over the course of two-and-a-half-years, Government Prosecutors and Defense Counsel worked together litigating all evidence, discovery, and witness testimony laying out and agreeing on the joint stipulations which serve as the architecture of the pre-trial agreements.
July 31, 2024, Susan.Escallier—the Convening Authority—had settled the 9/11 case by approving a prosecution plea deal with KSM, WBA, and MAH under which they would plead guilty and receive life sentences to be served in the Guantanamo Bay prison system rather than face the death penalty. Once the pleas were entered, the military judge would have issued a Sentencing Trial Order to begin jury selection, presentation of all of the evidence, witness testimony victim impact statements, and sentencing. The entire process was expected to take approximately eighteen months.
In January 2025, The Prosecution was directed by the government to file a petition for mandamus to nullify the pre-trial-agreements by upholding former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s withdrawal of the agreements approved by the Convening Authority, thereby overturning the CMCR’s (United States Court of Military Commission Review) decision to proceed with the PTAs.
Susan Escallier is a Brigadier General (Ret.) and 32-year Army lawyer, who was given authority in 2023 to preside over the war court system at Guantanamo Bay, by Secretary Austin.
Joint Stipulations and the Pre-Trial Agreements
The pre-trial agreements include seven charges and 107 stipulations, or statements of facts. The stipulation of fact is a written agreement between opposing parties in a legal case to accept certain facts as true. The primary purpose of stipulating facts is to eliminate the necessity to prove uncontested aspects of the case, thereby reducing time and resources for both the court and the parties involved.
The stipulations in the PTAs for KSM, WBA and MAH are the result of more than two years of deliberations between government prosecutors, defense counsel, and defendants. They have been carefully documented in more than 100 pages of charges and admissions, which were sealed with the evidence on July 31st, 2024.
Writ of Certiorari
The defense is requesting a writ of certiorari—A court order issued by the Supreme Court to a lower court (like the D.C. District Court) to review the case for legal consistency and sound reasoning for the agreements. Initially, when the prosecutors claimed that the then-Secretary of Defense Austin validly withdrew from the PTAs, the courts disagreed on this and enforced the PTAs, leaving the CMCR (Court of Military Commissions Review) decision upholding the enforcement of the PTAs as the binding decision in the case.
On August 3, 2026, 9/11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court with the hope in persuading “swing vote” justices to vote to take up the case and ultimately uphold the pre-trial agreements. Two prominent law professors have also filed separate briefs in support of a SCOTUS hearing—Professor Clair O. Finkelstein and Professor Stephen I. Vladeck.
The stated primary argument: “While no legal resolution can undo the pain of September 11th, with the entry of the PTAs, petitioners felt that there was finally a clear path forward for evidence to be presented, for victims voices to be heard, and for these defendants to be convicted and sentenced.
RECENT CASE DEVELOPMENTS
May 26, 2026 – The newly-installed Military judge subjectively follies in how long torture can taint the case. Government-ordered TORTURE of MASS MURDERERS = ENDESS VICTIM TORTURE!
August 26, 2026 – The Pentagon announces that the Military Judge has issued a Government Fourth Motion for a TRIAL SCHEDULING ORDER, ordering the trial to Begin on June 5, 2028. The order contains numerous deadlines for both the prosecution and defense leading up to the trial date. Trial on the merits of the case begins with Jury Panel Selection (aka voir dire) from all branches of the military, followed by opening statements, witness testimony, and closing statements. In the event of conviction, the Military Judge has ordered a pre-sentencing hearing to begin within 30 calendar days after any finding of guilt for any of the accused.
This is a Capital War-Crimes Trial before a Military Tribunal, not a civilian federal trial. Pre-trial litigation must occur all over again with disputes over what evidence can be used at trial. Evidence which is subject to the prosecutions use of national security privilege to shield the information from the defense and the public. All of the evidence does not have to come out, nor will there be witness and victim impact statements as had been part of the Pre-Trial Agreements Sentencing Trial.
August 28, 2026– Judge throws out Key 9/11 Confession as Tainted by Torture, ruling that a confession elicited through torture is inadmissible. I can’t think of a greater insult to Victim civil liberties. 9/11 widow, P. Wotton says,” the U.S. government is ultimately a participant in preventing justice being granted to the deceased and their loved ones.” Writ large, it’s become glaringly clear that the G.H. W. Bush administration set up the black-sites and RDI program to obstruct discovery, accountability, and justice so we would never see all the evidence of the events, players, errors and deal-making that opened America’s gates for 19 al-Qaeda, western-jihad-crazed martyrs to murder my husband and thousands of innocent people on September 11th, 2001.
September 1, 2026– The Defense filed a Motion to Dismiss due to Apparent Unlawful Influence.
QUESTIONS
Earlier this month I wrote the defense counsel inquiring about new developments. I asked about the teams’ positions in the event that the Petition of Writ of Certiorari is not granted by SCOTUS, and if they’re seeking new motions.
“Team Mohammad” (KSM) asserts that Judge Schrama is not waiting to find out what the Supreme Court does or doesn’t do. He says the D.C. Circuit ruled that Secretary Austin withdrew from the PTAs and so he is pressing ahead with contested pretrial hearings, as if the PTAs never happened. Since the defendants signed the PTAs in July 2024, the defense has not sought to withdraw from the PTAs. Only the government has sought to withdraw. The defense has consistently argued that Secretary Austin’s withdrawal was improper and too late—48 hours after the Convening Authority, the military judge, the defendants, the government prosecutors, and the three defense teams signed the agreements and sealed them in the court. Team counsel state: “we see no indication that the government is currently interested in pursuing PTAs.” Yet, the defense teams continue to support enforcing the PTAs, including the provisions for victim families to ask questions directly of the defendants.
“Team Walid bin Attash” (WBA) states that if certiorari is denied by the Supreme Court, that will be the end of the Pre-Trial Agreements. The questions of whether the “poison-pill” provisions still apply and if there was unlawful influence involved in the government’s withdrawal remain as outstanding issues to be ruled on.
“Team Ammar al Baluchi (AAA)” (Not part of PTAs) reports that since the May hearing (the judge has pushed the parties to move forward on preparations for trial. On June 1, he issued an order which required both sides to make major discovery productions by July 31. In those two months, the government produced another 8,000 pages of discovery. Team AAA also produced several thousand pages of discovery. The order next requires the defense to file most of the remaining motions by October 30.
Litigation regarding the pre-trial agreements remains ongoing, as reported by the Victim’s Witness Assistance Program (VWAP-8/5/2026), and the case is currently pending consideration by the Supreme Court of the United States. Whether the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decides to take on if the D.C. court’s July 16th ruling was correctly interpreted— denying the defense motions— will be decided in its fall term.
None of the accused have withdrawn from the PTAs, nor are any of them requesting new motions.
In this great country of opportunity, sane and intentional mass murderers can die legally innocent while living full natural lives supported by American taxpayers, even as they trumpet their vainglory acts which cut short VICTIM’s lives, inflicted years of suffering on survivors, and cost family members a lifetime embattled pursuit of justice and restitution from their own government. Alien Enemy Combatant Terrorists can expect to be aided and represented by the very nation they attacked, while maneuvering the government into stripping constitutional rights and protections of the American citizens and visitors they CHOOSE to murder. Delivering justice to mass murderers who revel in killing us steals justice from Victims!
This year I will herald my husband’s name over the World Trade Center Reflecting Pools. I’m given ten seconds for personal comment due to the extraordinary number of additional events planned for this year’s landmark commemoration. Former Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama; former First Ladies, former NYC Mayor Giuliani, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani are scheduled to attend. (President Trump was asked not to attend because he wished to deliver a politicized speech, which the 9/11 Memorial and Museum prohibits.) Their presence at the hallowed ground of my husband’s grave, tinted with performative regard, punctuates the mercy they have afforded his murderers and the endless pain inflicted upon victims and family members through the obstacles they have placed in the path to justice.
Each time I return to Guantanamo, I tuck a small empty bag in my pocket. When court is in recess, I comb the sands of Windmill and Girl Scout Beaches– jagged with shattered conch and eroded coral– for shards of green, and amber and cobalt glistening in the sunlight. Fragments of bottled courage weathered by turbulent tides, their edges smoothed by the sea’s slow alchemy, glide from finger to palm, filling my bag as I choose which to keep and which to cast. This place can be beautiful. And, there is life in this place that will break you. I’ve given a home for the shards in a clear container in which a candle is steadied in their forgiveness. I’ve carried my grief in the world, and it has taught me how to carry the fragments and not be broken.
*Department of Defense remains as the “legal” title of the defense branch of the government. The “Department of War” is used only as an Executive Branch secondary title, rebranding the Pentagon in Executive communications and shifting it’s public-facing identity to “Department of War” August 24, 2026.
© 2026 Deborah Garcia, All rights reserved
NEVER FORGET THE VICTIMS OF STATE-SPONSORED TERRORISM
Posted on August 16, 2026 1 Comment
As we approach the 25th anniversary of 9/11, there’s a simple way to help the families who are still fighting for justice.
H.R. 9795 keeps the USVSST Fund stable so tens of thousands of American victims of terrorism and their families aren’t left behind in Executive deal making. Supporting it takes only a few seconds.
Please click the action link below to send a message to your Representative and Senators urging them to support H.R. 9795. It’s quick, it matters, and it reflects what Never Forget truly means.
Thank you for standing with the 9/11 families.
ACTION CALL TO ALL AMERICANS
Posted on August 12, 2026 Leave a Comment
actionbutton.nationbuilder.com/share/SPK-QEhCR0Y=
Every American victim of terrorism must be paid the judgements awarded them by Congress before President Trump lifts sanctions and returns funds to Iran–ending four decades of designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.
Join American victims of terrorism by helping with the passage of H.R. 9795- “Never Forget the Victims of Terrorism USSVST Solvency Act.”
Clicking the action button and adding your mailing address  will directly email your member of Congress to join H.R. 9795 as a co-sponsor. This is not a letter limited to victims. Every American can sign this and have it sent to their Representatives and Senators.l
Feel free to share the link. Thank you for your support.
THE NEXT RIGHT THING
Posted on July 25, 2026 Leave a Comment
1.
“How do we know what the next right thing is?” you write. The pocket-sized journal we pass between us rests on a nightstand beside a lamp and an analogue alarm clock.
You’ve finished your work and settled into bed at 1:00 AM. This living testimony exists because Oprah suggests that a shared gratitude journal nurtures intimacy – a way for busy couples to strengthen connection. The summer of 1999 is a busy time in our life – career building, home renovating, keeping our six-year-old and two-year-old boys alive and happy.
“Do we need to think more about where? Are we in the right state, country, planet?” you ask.
We’re ten years into our five-year starter home. The plan was – mortgage what we can barely afford, fix it up as best we can, add kids, upgrade to a bigger and better forever home. Begin comfortable living.
I write, “I’m ready for better, new and improved, to get on with it! Where do we belong? How and when do we get there? How do we know it’s right? We’ve reached maximum capacity – for the piano, kid’s dressers, computer equipment, laundry. Don’t get me wrong, this is the good ‘ole days... I’m worried I might not live long enough to experience opening a window that doesn’t crash down, enjoy dinner on a deck large enough for a table and six chairs, walk barefoot through a space not littered with Legos and Matchbox cars.”
2.
GPS was first used by the military for navigation. It helped provide safety and accuracy for strategic purposes. Navigating through unfamiliar territory can be daunting. When our children become drivers, they won’t be able to imagine plotting a course without a clue about directions.
There’s no need to think about where. Our global positioning appears to work for us –proximity to our work, public transportation, shopping, the ocean. You have the freedom of independent mobility, given your declining vision. Yet, we’ve outgrown this 1600-ft2 pre-World War I Dutch Colonial, filled the attic and the rafters in the garage, and expanded into a storage unit.
The right thing is what we know. For eighteen years, all the right things – from the day you carried my books on a campus sidewalk to this twilight entry in our own family home – have brought us to this page. Living between the lines.
3.
You wrote, “I am deeply troubled by our recent experiences. The choices we have made put us through many changes. I’m grateful for where we are today” — May 11, 1998.
No amount of satellite signals can guide us through the unknown future. All things in life are the result of what has come before us. Millions of choices – intentional and inflicted – have led us to where we are today. I’ve traced ancestors through ten centuries of mothers and fathers, lords and warriors, bricklayers and immigrants whose fate and choices – wise, nefarious, and miscalculated – have brought us to this question, in our bed, our two little boys dreaming in the adjacent space.
4.
Today marks our 39th anniversary – twenty-five empty pages. This week I have driven 1,044 miles. I have told our story fifteen times on Capitol Hill and asked government prosecutors how long a presumptive trial may take to sentence the men who chose radical ideology, chose al Qaeda, chose our history.
Our love, my dear, is not a choice.
5.
For our twelfth anniversary you gave me a blue topaz stone encircled by twelve diamonds, dangling from a chain. When I began to write this story, I searched for it – to hold it. Misplaced, I’m devastated, again.
We had reached a place where we eclipsed survival. We were thriving – building our careers, funding college and retirement accounts, strengthening our relationship. With this expansion we relaxed into the disillusionment of choice, daring to plan the future that we envisioned, somewhere outside the lines of all the futures we had already manifested.
Pima Chödrön reminds us that the journey itself is the goal. It’s not about getting somewhere; it’s about right now, how we live this life. This is our journey. It’s a process of growth. “Our lives aren’t about constantly chasing the next milestones. We aren’t finally arriving. It’s about how we meet this moment – with openness and the willingness to keep growing.”
6.
You write, “My dearest wife of 12 years. Sorry, no special plans for the day, but I did get you a special treat. Part of that working too hard thing and planning around the kids makes it difficult to get it together. I appreciate a nice dinner and maybe a movie or something as much as anything else. I think of more enduring love and strength for our future. To us in good health!
Your Husband — 7/25/99.
In 779 days the alarm will not sound. You’ll toss it to the floor. I’ll choose to help you leave – lay out your clothes, pack turkey slices, brush off your shoes. You’ll choose to run for the bus. You will not return to this bed. I will search for you. Your brother will slip into the vacancy. I will leave this house, this city, this state. Our son will choose to join you. Another will only know you in the liminal space of these pages.
The question remains on the page, indelible.
7.
I never expected this. Twenty-five years cannot erode my love for you. I’ll drive a million miles to pursue truth and accountability for your empty pages. Justice itself is not the goal; it’s a process of discovery. My life is no longer about chasing the next triumph. I’m not finally arriving at a reckoning. It’s about how I meet each moment – with openness and the willingness to keep awakening. This is my testimony. It’s what I know. — 7/25/2026
© 2026 Deborah Garcia, all rights reserved
Representatives Join Coalition of Survivors and Victim Families in A Bipartisan Effort To Secure Justice for Victims of Iran State Sponsored Terrorism
Posted on July 18, 2026 Leave a Comment
American Victims of State-Sponsored Terrorism United (AVSTU) will come together to hold a press conference and hold meetings with legislators on Capitol Hill, Washington D.C. AVSTU is a coalition representing more than 20,000 American victims of state-sponsored terrorism.
On July 21-22, I will stand with a coalition of survivors and family members whose lives were forever altered by Iran state-sponsored Terrorism. The coalition consists of more than 20,000 Americans, impacted by attacks spanning decades, united in our mission to advocate for the critical needs of our community and to seek justice for those who continue to live with the lasting effects of terrorism.
Our coalition includes victims and families affected by, among other attacks:
- 1968 U.S.S. Pueblo Attack
- 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis
- 1983 Beirut Barracks Bombing
- 1983 and 1984 U.S. Embassy Bombings in Beirut City
- 1985 TWA Flight 847 Hijacking
- 1996 Khobar Towers Bombing
- 1998 U.S. Embassy Bombings in East Africa
- 2001 U.S.S. Cole Attack
- September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania
- 2016 Nice, France Attack
- October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel
Priorities of discussions for this session include:
1. The geographic reach and human impact of American families seeking justice.
2. Critical policy barriers that continue to hinder the recovery of assets owed to victims.
3. The House NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) Amendment 1120 (Malliotakis-Gillen), which would help protect the U.S. Victims of State-Sponsored Terrorism Fund.
https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF10515
Learn more about USVSST:
https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/PDF/IF10341/IF10341.10.pdf
MEET WITH PROSECUTION IN THE CASE OF THE U.S. vs. KSM
Posted on June 19, 2026 Leave a Comment
Get updated on the Military Commissions case of the 9/11 detainees at Naval Base Guantanamo Bay. Opportunity for engagement and to ask questions.
When: July 22
Where: Virtual / In-Person in Washington D.C.
RSVP: July 10
Contact to Register: osd.pentagon.omc.list.vwap@mail.mil
THE ART OF THE DEAL RIPS JUSTICE FROM 9/11 VICTIMS
Posted on June 18, 2026 Leave a Comment
As we approach the 25th anniversary of the September 11th, 2001 attacks, American victims of international terrorism are being dismissed by our government. Happy birthday Mr. President.
OUR GOVERNMENT WANTS AMERICA TO FORGET!
For seventeen years 9/11 families have fought to pursue justice against sovereign countries and designated State Sponsors of Terrorism. In 2015, PL. 114-113, known as JASTA, was enacted by Congress to establish the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund with the goal to bankrupt terrorism by seizing sanctioned Iranian assets and fining companies that do business with Iran, distributing a portion of those assets to American victims of terrorism. Battles ensued for three more years to lift the ban on 9/11 families, unjustly imposed as the result of a fine-print waiver attached to the Victims Compensation Fund of 2001, forfeiting our right to pursue future civil suits. In 2018, 9/11 victims, family members, and victim estates received judgements from the Department of Justice. An initial round of payments began at the end of 2019. The Fund, designed to issue annual payments of varied amounts, is set to sunset in 2039.
This is an act of Congress! Poof.
None of the 9/11 planners nor powers have been set to trial! 9/11, USS COLE, and Bali Nightclub Bombing Detainees continue to enjoy immunity from conviction in an assisted living facility (costing taxpayers at over $13,000,000 per detainee, annually) off the mainland, 1,400 miles from Ground Zero. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/16/us/politics/sept-11-attacks-trial.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
Victims, survivors, and victim family members are also determined to bring the financiers and individuals who aided the 9/11 hijackackers— Saudi government employees— to trial in our unyielding litigation against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/us/politics/saudi-arabia-lawsuit-9-11-families.html?s
25-YEARS, NO JUSTICE FOR THE 2,977 SOULS MURDERED ON AMERICAN SOIL.
The USVSSTF has been the only form of justice I may see in my lifetime. I was 37 when my life was shattered and my children and I were thrust into this ceaseless, redactive public charade through six administrations of politicization and monetization of David’s murder.
Lifting the sanctions on Iran for the purpose of voter gain is a disgrace. Infuriating! Does this mean that Iran’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism will be lifted?
The United States is literally supplying terrorism victim blood money to a military regime (aka: IRGC) to grow terrorism forces, bolstering crimes against humanity.
There is no mention of the Americans who were victimized by the terrorists cultivated by this militant regime. Americans who were awarded a shred of justice mandated by Public Law, to have it ripped away in the forthcoming 25th Anniversary of the event of our lifetime which lives in infamy.
Paragraphs 7-11 in the “Memorandom of understanding”(MOU) 14-point deal struck with Mr. President between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran to exit his illegal war, draining American’s pockets and waning his popularity among voters, the Senate, and the billionairs who profit by funding his office . https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/us/politics/us-iran-agreement-deal-text.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
7. The United States of America undertakes to terminate all types of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the United Nations Security Council resolutions, i.e. a Board of Governors resolutions, and all unilateral US sanctions, primary and secondary, in an agreed upon schedule as part of the final deal. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America acknowledge the critical importance of the sanctions termination issue above mentioned and expressed their intentions to immediately address these issues in the negotiations in order to achieve mutual agreement on them to paragraph eight. Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms that it shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons. United States of America and Islamic Republic of Iran have agreed to resolve the disposition of stockpile enriched material pursuant to a mechanism that will be mutually agreed upon in accordance with the schedule mentioned in paragraph seven, with the minimum methodology to be down blending on site under the supervision of the IAEA.
8. The two parties also agreed to discuss the issue of enrichment and other mutually agreed matters related to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear needs, based on a satisfactory framework being agreed upon in the final deal. The final deal will confirm the provisions of this paragraph. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran acknowledge the critical importance of the nuclear issues above mentioned and express their intention to immediately address these issues in the negotiations in order to achieve mutual agreement on them.
9. Pending the final deal, the United States of America and Islamic Republic of Iran agree to maintain the status quo. The Islamic Republic of Iran will maintain the current status quo of its nuclear program and the United States of America will not impose any new sanctions and will not deploy additional forces in the region.
10. The United States of America undertakes that immediately upon the signing of MOU until the termination of sanctions, US Department of Treasury will issue waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products, and derivatives, and all associated services, including banking transactions, insurances, transportation, etc.
11. The United States of America undertakes to make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Upon the implementation of this MOU, the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran will mutually agree on the procedures related to the release of these funds during the negotiations. Such funds, whether retained in the original account or transferred, shall be made fully usable for payment to any ultimate beneficiary designed by the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States of America undertakes to issue all necessary licenses and authorizations accordingly.
U.S. v. KSM, et. al. Notification
Posted on January 24, 2026 Leave a Comment
Dear Survivors & Families,
We write to inform you regarding the recent developments in United States v. Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, et. al.
As you know, there has been continuing litigation regarding pre-trial agreements related to three of the five accused. Earlier this month our office notified you that the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the defense motions for a rehearing. This means that the Court’s July 11, 2025 decision, which determined that then-Secretary Austin validly withdrew from the agreements in August 2024, remains in effect.
The defense has the opportunity to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court of the United States and will have until April 6, 2026 to file their petitions should they choose to do so. A petition to the Supreme Court is the only appellate course of action remaining in this process.
Ensuring you are engaged and informed is important to the prosecution team. In support of that mission, VWAP will host the team for two in-person/virtual events on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, where you can hear from the prosecutors and discuss the current state of the proceedings. These events will allow them to further explain the path forward and for you to express your views.
We encourage survivors and victim family members to attend and participate. In-person attendance is available for those in the D.C. area. However, there is a limited capacity, and all attendees will be subjected to a security screening.
Admittance to the events, both virtually and physically, will only be allowed through an RSVP to ensure that only survivors and victim family members are in attendance. Please RSVP by Monday, February 2, 2026. When you RSVP you will be given the opportunity to submit questions to the prosecution team in advance, but you will also have the opportunity to ask your questions during the Q & A portion of the event.
We encourage you to share this information with immediate family members and other survivors, so they have an opportunity to enroll in the VWAP program to join the meeting.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office with any questions or concerns.
Our entire VWAP Team, including Director Danielle Reddan, can be reached at osd.pentagon.OMC.list.vwap@mail.mil. Details regarding these events, including how to RSVP, are contained in the attached information sheet.
We will continue to provide you with additional information and updates about this case as it becomes available. Thank you for your continued engagement and commitment to this legal process.
Very Respectfully,
Danielle Reddan
Director
Victim/Witness Assistance Program
Clayton Trivett
Managing Trial Counsel
9/11 Prosecution Team
Jeffrey Groharing
Trial Counsel
9/11 Prosecution Team
Joshua Bearden
Colonel, JA, U.S. Army National Guard
9/11 Prosecution Team
NFORMATION SHEET
Event Information:
The meetings will be held on February 10, 2026 in two sessions:
Virtual Meeting – Morning Session 9:15 AM
Virtual Meeting – Afternoon Session 4:15 PM
Tysons Corner, VA (Live) [Office of the Chief Prosecutor]
Further information, including the meeting invitation, will be distributed after a confirmed
RSVP. Please RSVP here: https://forms.osi.apps.mil/r/q3hxy9Dfix
Please submit your RSVP by the end of business on Monday, February 2, 2026.
Contact Information:
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the Victim/Witness
Assistance Program (VWAP) Team:
Email: osd.pentagon.OMC.list.vwap@mail.mil
Phone: 703-695-6966
LARK ASCENDING
Posted on October 31, 2025 Leave a Comment
I stand in the opening of the garage in my home in Vermont, chucking balls for the border collie to chase. The yard is veiled under a heavy blanket of leaves, the amber and bittersweet tinge of fall’s bruising. I’m wearing winter fleece under my rain jacket. The dog doesn’t care about the cold or the soaking rain. The shifting late afternoon light catches a faint stain in the concrete, where my son last parked five years ago. This deluge has cloistered me. But I need to move beyond the long private pass, breath fresh air, lift my spirit. I drive to a nature preserve, harness the dog, and grip the leash as if it’s the only thing left to hold onto. It’s 5:00 PM. The cold feathers my spine. I don’t want to step into this darkness. Is this baptism worth suffering for…?
On this day in 2020, just after I prepared the house for my sister’s arrival, my son has hugged me goodbye and says he’ll plan supper. COVID has cancelled Halloween so I hike the nature preserve with my dog. Tuned to a radio app, a beautiful pastoral composition sings from my pocket— “Lark Ascending” by Vaughan Williams. Violins resonate in rising and drifting motion while starlings undulate in the fading light, like a dark veil. My son has already risen into the firmament, but I don’t know this yet. What I know is that he will love this music. I pause in the meadow, pull out my phone, and tap the title into a note. The October sky blushes over a nearby field, where a herd of banded cows rush toward the pale with their throaty bellows, scouting us with their big black eyes. They don’t know about larks, only fences and boundaries and meadow and mountain and hoof and breath.
The earth tilts toward darkness and I quicken my pace to loop back. Stones scrape against the tread of my boots. Leaves dapple the path ahead like copper coins cast from a heist, masking my impression. The citrine sun illuminates an opening where the silhouettes of two massive junipers vignette a tinting reflection. The way out is longer than anticipated and I cannot outstep the glow sinking into the mirror pond. I think my son has returned home with a bag of groceries, perhaps he’s slicing onions, draining clams, tempering cream. Anxious to share the splendor, I prepare to text the photos I snapped with a note of my return, idling in the unpaved lot. But I don’t. Instead, I think of sitting together, scrolling through photos, listening to violins, holding the beauty.
… I return home to unfurl a line across the verge, so no goblins and fairies with a sweet tooth ring the bell. No Jacko-lanterns or violins or mask. I want to light a fire, curl under a soft blanket, thaw leftovers, and write this story.
2025 Deborah Garcia, All Rights Reserved. Photos from personal photo stream – October 31, 2020, Jericho VT.
