According to the lawyers for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, his special status in prison is making it too hard for them to defend him. They have asked a judge to lift some of the restrictions placed on the bomber, particularly those regarding his isolation. The lawyers say that Tsarnaev hasn’t done anything since being arrested for the bombing to make officials think he would do anything violent.
“The government has not alleged that Mr. Tsarnaev has done or said anything since his arrest to commit violence, incite violence, or engage in communications that pose a security threat,” his lawyers said in the filing. “There is no indication that Tsarnaev’s intentions have changed since then.”
The restrictions are partly in place because of Tsarnaev’s anti-American beliefs, which he could spread to other prisoners if given the opportunity. After he was captured, Tsarnaev told the FBI that he “reaffirmed his commitment to jihad and expressed hope that his actions would inspire others to engage in violent jihad.”
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The court documents filed further describe his restrictions in prison:
In respect to legal phone calls, no person, other than pre-cleared attorneys, paralegals, or investigators may participate in phone calls with Tsarnaev or even “listen to or overhear” any part of the calls. Calls cannot be recorded.
Tsarnaev’s non-legal mail, phone calls, and visits are restricted to immediate family members only.
Tsarnaev can send only one letter — comprised of three double-sided pages — to one adult per week.
Only one adult can visit Tsarnaev at a time, and there can’t be any physical contact.
Family members aren’t allowed to record phone calls with Tsarnaev or discuss the contents of their communication with any third party. (In June, Tsarnaev’s mother released a recording of one of her calls with her son from prison.)
Tsarnaev isn’t allowed to talk to the media.
Tsarnaev isn’t allowed to share a cell, participate in group prayer service, or communicate with any of the other inmates.
Tsarnaev has limited outdoor access and is only allowed to see the outside world in a small, outdoor enclosure.
Then 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was one of the two brothers involved in the Boston Marathon bombings in April that killed three people and injured more than 200 others. After a firefight that killed older brother Tamerlan and wounded Dzhokhar, police were able to apprehend the younger brother after a man called in to report seeing a bloody body in his boat.
Seriously?! "Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's lawyers ask judge to lift prison restrictions" http://t.co/wF1IsRkFX2
— Heatco (@heatco) October 3, 2013
AYFKM Boston bomber terrorist murdering killer complaining of incarceration restrictions. Kill him now. #Tsarnaev
— texbarb (@texbarb) October 3, 2013