Why is someone being a witness made public record for everyone to see, putting them in danger? Why can’t we let them remain anonymous like people in CIA and Military files?
In: Culture
Being a witness in a case isn’t an inherently dangerous thing. If, in a specific case, being a witness would be judged a danger, the US has a Witness Protection program to protect them via relocation and giving them new identities. This is pretty rare, though.
The right to public trial is very different from covert intelligence and military actions.
Grand Juries who use witnesses to determine if there is sufficient evidence to pursue charges do not reveal the names of witnesses as that is a different process than criminal trial.
Because the witness’s identity is relevant to the evaluation of their testimony, and a trial is about finding facts definitively enough to assess guilt publicly. There’s a constitutional right to confront witnesses against you at trial – cross-examine them and challenge their testimony. If their identities were kept secret, that would be impossible.
Because that person/documents might hold information that could hurt the country or NATO or the world safety.
You witnessing a murder is on a whole different scale hence why there’s different classification for documents (protected,classified,secret,top secret, cosmic, etc).
Also depending on the country, you’re fully allowed by law to know who testify against you, hence why the witness protection program starts AFTER the trial (new identity,etc).
In America, people are entitled to face their accusers. If the government could conceal the witnesses identities, the accused couldn’t have a fair trial.
National security issues are a legal clusterfuck.
Batman could never testify at Penguin trial.
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