Priests to Change Plea

PUTTING TORTURE ON TRIAL on the eve of the federal court appearance for Fr. Steve Kelly and Fr. Louie Vitale please join them for a public program with
Human rights attorney Bill Quigley,
Voices of Creative Nonviolence cofounder and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Kathy Kelly
Musician Ted Warmbrand
and others at 7 p.m. Tuesday, October 16, 2007
First Christian Church 740
E. Speedway at Euclid, Tucson
Check http://tortureontrial.org for additional speakers and updates or call 323-8697

IN COURT Wednesday, October 17, 8:30 a.m. U.S. District Court, 405 W. Congress, Tucson Support circle in the Courthouse plaza at 7:30 a.m.
Fr. Louie Vitale and Fr. Steve Kelly, represented by Bill Quigley, will be in court facing charges of trespass and failure to obey an officer's orders for their nonviolent witness on November 19, 2006 at Fort Huachuca.
They attempted to give a letter of protest to the post commander of Fort Huachuca because of the leading role that the Fort has played in the development of the manuals advocating torture used at the School of the Americas and the current interrogation techniques being used by the Army. Because the magistrate granted the prosecutor's motion in limine, forbidding the defense from even mentioning issues related to torture, the Military Commissions Act, international law, etc. during the trial, these issues and more will be addressed at the public event October 16.
And because the motion in limine has stripped them of their defense, Frs. Vitale and Kelly intend to change their plea from "not guilty" to "no contest". A no contest plea is treated by the court as a guilty plea, without the defendants admitting guilt.
They have also requested that the magistrate sentence them on Wednesday. The pair are facing a maximum ten month prison sentence for both charges. In addition to having people present in the courtroom that morning, people are also invited to remain outside in front of the courthouse holding our banners and signs declaring "No to Torture".
For more information, visit http://TortureOnTrial.org

From: Felice & Jack Cohen-Joppa [mailto: nukeresister@igc.org ]