The defense witnesses in the Boston Bombing trial certainly have reason to be afraid to testify, given the long official intimidation campaign against them.
Yet, ironically, it is now the government that is claiming its witnesses are scared and even unwilling to testify. Unsurprisingly, the judge overseeing the trial against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has agreed with the prosecutors.
Since the Boston Marathon bombing last year, WhoWhatWhy has reported on a pattern of intimidation towards people associated with the accused bombers, Dzhokhar and his late elder brother, Tamerlan. Those connected to the case have been intimidated, deported, jailed, and even killed.
Comment: From James Henry's piece on witness harassment linked in the article: That's just one: add to that list Ashurmamad Miraliev, Khusn Taramiv, and Ibragim Todashev, who was murdered in cold blood by FBI agents. Apparently the FBI has been trying to 'turn' these witnesses into 'informers' and get them to spy on local mosques and restaurants. For SOTT's coverage of the bombing, see Joe Quinn and Niall Bradley's book: Manufactured Terror.