Category Archives: Guantanamo

Back in a more innocent age — that would be about two months ago — I wrote a post (UK's Released Detainees Allege Torture) quoting but doubting claims of bizzare forms of abuse reported by recently releasted Gitmo detainees. I said then:

I do not believe the US would starve detainees or feed them spoiled food. Would it? And the stuff the Mirror repeats about the use of prostitutes to shock sensitive Muslims with naked bodies and menstral blood sounds just too weird — more like the propaganda of a person who has been held illegally in hard conditions for two years and wants his revenge.

My conclusion then was that,

Outside independent review — ideally judicial review — is essential either to rebut these claims convincingly or to root out and punish those responsbile if the uglier charges are at all true.

Have to say that those charges seem less impossible today. And I'm still not exactly clear on who's going to be doing that independent review…

Every war creates its particular heroes. Here's an article about some heroes from the War on Terror™.

As the date for oral argument in front of the US Supreme Court approaches, the Pentagon underakes a PR offensive, and allows (carefully controlled) information to come out about the conditions at Guuantanamo. The Miami Herald gets the first exclusive.

U.S. military opens doors, sheds light on Cuba camp: For the first time since terrorism suspects were brought to the base two years ago, authorities in recent weeks opened the door to rooms used for interrogations, provided limited information on efforts to gather intelligence from prisoners and showed off a courtroom where military tribunals likely will be conducted.

They also allowed some photographs of restricted areas and permitted interviews with interrogators and others who deal with the prisoners.

The new access comes as attorneys for the families of 16 captives are seeking access to federal courts to challenge their indefinite detention. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on April 20.

Note what's not in the article: information about suicide attempts, self-injury, or much about the conditions outside of Camp Echo — which is small, and is the luxury wing of the camp. Whatever its skills at nation building, the Pentagon remains champs at lobbying and PR.

The NYT reports on a new Gitmo lawsuit. Its filed by Lt. Cmdr. Charles Swift, a militiary lawyer (JAG) defending one of the Guantanamo detainees. The suit — filed in his own name! — challenges the fundamental legality of the military tribunal order setting up the procedure by which the detainees will be tried. That's the process that foreign jurists call a Kangaroo Court.

Prof. Neil Katyal is on the case, and the complaint is on his webpage.

I have to say that I really admire the military lawyers who are pursuing these cases. They face a much more substantial career risk than the average partner who has to choose between billables and pro bono zeal. Suing Rumsfeld personally takes guts.