Lawyers for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the suspect currently awaiting trial for the bombings at the Boston marathon, have petitioned the court on their client's behalf. The defense team is asking that the restrictions placed on Tsarnaev be lifted. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been in prison for four months and is restricted in almost everything he does. Tsarnaev is not allowed to pray with other inmates and he may only leave his cell for appointments with lawyers and for brief amounts of time outdoors. CNN reports that Tsarnaev's lawyers say their client is "in near total isolation."
CNN also reports that the restrictions placed on Tsarnaev were done so after Massachusetts U.S attorney general Carmen Ortiz requested them. Ortiz and the other prosecutors trying the Boston bombing case say these restrictions are necessary because Tsarnaev is still looking to incite other inmates to "engage in a violent jihad." Tsarnaev's lawyers filed a motion with the U.S District Court saying they disagreed with the prosecution's assumption that Tsarnaev's letters and other forms of communication show he still poses a threat.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is accused of building and planting the bombs that went off on April 15 near the finish line of the Boston marathon. The 20-year old and his older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev, now deceased, originally from Russia are believed to have planted the bombs out of protest for the involvement the United States has had in Muslim countries. The pair of brother are Chechen and emigrated to the U.S with their families as children. The Tsarnaev brother's parents moved back to Russia.
Tamerlane Tsarnaev was killed in a standoff with police on April 19. Dzhokhar was able to escape but was wounded and ended up hiding in a boat in the backyard of someone's home in Watertown, Massachusetts. While the bombing suspect lay bleeding on the boat it is said he scrawled ant-American sentiments on the wall of the boat. Police found messages that read, "The U.S government is killing our innocent civilians" and "We Muslims are one body, you hurt one you hurt us all." The Special Administrative Measures placed on Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were first imposed in August. Tsarnaev is denied access to any mail or phone communication that does not come from his lawyers.
"SAM's" are used in terrorism cases in order to keep the accused from posing a further risk to the U.S by limiting the person's contact with the outside world. Tsarnaev is facing 30 counts as a result of the April 15 attack. Over 250 people were injured, some losing limbs. Three people including a young boy were killed in the explosions. An MIT police officer was also killed in a confrontation with the Tsarnaev brothers. Dzhokar Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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