Tag: guantanamo

Yemeni Detainees Caught in Bomb Backlash

In the wake of the failed attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day, legal experts and human rights advocates are pushing back against calls from politicians to halt the planned release of prisoners from Guantánamo Bay to their home country, Yemen. The would-be bomber, a 23-year-old Nigerian, was disarmed and taken down … Continue reading “Yemeni Detainees Caught in Bomb Backlash”

Who Are the Four Afghans Released From Gitmo?

Over the weekend, 12 prisoners were released from Guantánamo, as the Justice Department announced in a press release on December 20. I have previously reported the stories of the two Somalis who were released – emphasizing how nothing about their cases demonstrated that they were "the worst of the worst" – and will soon be … Continue reading “Who Are the Four Afghans Released From Gitmo?”

The Guantánamo Shell Game?

Human and rights advocates and members of the Republican Party found unusual common ground Monday. Both registered strong objections to the announcement that the Barack Obama administration would be transferring detainees from Guantánamo to a maximum security prison in Illinois. But their reasons were starkly different. The Weekly Standard, a conservative political publication and a … Continue reading “The Guantánamo Shell Game?”

US: Guantanamo Prisoners Not ‘Persons’

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal Monday to review a lower court’s dismissal of a case brought by four British former Guantanamo prisoners against former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the detainees’ lawyers charged Tuesday that the country’s highest court evidently believes that "torture and religious humiliation are permissible tools for a government … Continue reading “US: Guantanamo Prisoners Not ‘Persons’”

‘New’ Military Courts Still Lack Basic Safeguards

While conservatives complain about Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four other terror suspects from Guantánamo coming to New York for trial, many legal experts and human rights groups are being equally outspoken in their criticism of the "new and improved" military commissions designated to try five other detainees. And some are particularly incensed that Omar Khadr, … Continue reading “‘New’ Military Courts Still Lack Basic Safeguards”

Civilian Trials for 9/11 Suspects Aren’t Enough

The Obama administration’s decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-described mastermind behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and four alleged co-conspirators in civilian court is a laudable return to the rule of law from the Bush administration’s kangaroo military commissions, which convened offshore in Guantanamo to avoid giving defendants full legal rights under domestic or … Continue reading “Civilian Trials for 9/11 Suspects Aren’t Enough”

Who Are the Six Uighurs Released From Guantánamo to Palau?

Over the weekend, six of the remaining 13 Uighurs in Guantánamo – Muslims from China’s Xinjiang province – were released to resume new lives in the tiny Pacific nation of Palau (population: 20,000). I have written at length about the plight of Guantánamo’s Uighurs, innocent men caught up in the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in … Continue reading “Who Are the Six Uighurs Released From Guantánamo to Palau?”