Feds want Tsarnaev barred from viewing autopsy photos of Marathon victims

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Federal prosecutors are asking for a federal judge to approve  a protective order preventing accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev from viewing autopsy photographs of his alleged victims.

In a court filing released Monday, the government asks for the court to enter a protective order that bars Tsarnaev from seeing autopsy photographs of the three victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.

Under the order, Tsarnaev would be prohibited from personally viewing the photos, except for those that are offered as evidence during trial or sentencing.

In their request for the protective order, the government notes they're not seeking to prevent Tsarnaev's attorneys from reviewing the photos or to prevent Tsarnaev from viewing any photos that will be used against him at trial. They say that allowing him to see the autopsy photos would "needlessly revictimize the family members."

The government claims prior to the protective order being requested, defense counsel "refused" to accept any limitations on their client's ability to view the photos. They also claim the defense repeated their demand for copies of all of them.

Cox Media Group