Lawyers for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev asked a judge on Wednesday to lift restrictions placed on the alleged Boston Marathon bomber that prevent him from communicating with other inmates, or visiting anyone other than his family and legal team. They say the restrictions are “unnecessarily harsh and isolating,” and hinder their work on his defense. “He is confined to his cell except for legal visits and very limited access to a small outdoor enclosure, on weekdays, weather-permitting,” says the motion. “The purported basis for these conditions lies in the crimes he is alleged to have committed prior to arrest, not any behavior during his confinement.”
Attorney General Eric Holder imposed the “Special Administrative Measures,” saying there’s a “high probability” that Tsarnaev might try to make “calls to co-conspirators to arrange terrorist or criminal activities.” The defense questioned whether Holder actually believes that, as Tsarnaev was in custody for four months before the rules were issued, and he “made no effort to communicate with non-family or media” during that time.
