The lawyer for Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, the U.S. soldier accused of killing 17 Afghan civilians, is accusing U.S. authorities of blocking his investigations into the incident.
John Henry Browne says his team has been prevented from interviewing wounded civilian witnesses at a Kandahar hospital.
SOUNDBITE: JOHN HENRY BROWNE, LAWYER FOR STAFF SERGEANT ROBERT BALES, SAYING (English):
"Were were told by the prosecutors to come back the next day, which is fine, you know, we went along with that. Then we went back the next day and they were all released from the hospital and they've been scattered throughout Afghanistan so that was a violation of the trust we had in the prosecutors."
A reliable account has yet to emerge of the massacre.
Recent reports suggest Bales left his base twice on the night of the killings.
Other reports indicate doubts among residents of the Afghan village where the slaughter happened that Bales acted alone.
No date has yet been set for his trial.
Paul Chapman, Reuters
