Guantanamo

International Human Rights Tribunal Hears Guantánamo Detainees’ Claims

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:22:22 -0400

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 28, 2008

Center for Consitutional Rights (CCR)

Today, an international human rights tribunal met to review the U.S. government's treatment of detainees at Guantanamo. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) convened the hearing to assess the United States' compliance with urgent measures of protection issued for Djamel Ameziane, an Algerian refugee detained without charge at Guantanamo Bay for nearly seven years, and for all Guantanamo detainees.

Guantanamo Trials Flout US Legal Fundamentals: Critics

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:02:03 -0400

WASHINGTON - The military "war crimes" commissions created to try US war-on-terror detainees held in Guantanamo bear only a partial resemblance to normal US courts and are heavily criticized for flouting fundamental principles of American law.

Created in 2006 by the US Congress, the commissions have been put to the test just once, in the trial of Salim Hamdan, the former driver of Al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden.

British Court Attacks US Refusal to Disclose Torture Evidence

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:01:43 -0400

by Richard Norton-Taylor

LONDON - The high court yesterday condemned as "deeply disturbing" a refusal by the US to disclose evidence that could prove a British resident held at Guantánamo Bay was tortured before confessing to terrorism offences.

The court said there was "no rational basis" for the American failure to reveal the contents of documents essential to the defence of Binyam Mohamed, who faces the death penalty.

Closing Guantanamo May Not Be Enough: UN Envoy

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:39:33 -0400

by Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS - The next U.S. president, whether it is Barack Obama or John McCain, will likely shut down Guantanamo Bay prison camp but may decide to keep some prisoners indefinitely, a U.N. rights envoy said on Wednesday.

The prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the system for trying its detainees, has been widely condemned by human rights groups and governments around the world, including close allies of the United States, who say it does not meet international legal standards.

Canada Urged to Offer Refugee Resettlement to Detainee at Guantanamo

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 15:44:02 -0400

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 22, 2008

Center for Consitutional Rights (CCR)

Human rights groups today urged Canada to offer refugee resettlement without delay to Djamel Ameziane, an Algerian who has been unlawfully detained for more than six years at Guantanamo and who has strong ties to Canada. The Anglican Diocese of Montreal has applied to resettle Mr. Ameziane through the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program.

US Drops Charges Against 5 Guantanamo Prisoners

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 12:04:24 -0400

by Andrew O. Slesky

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The U.S. military abruptly dropped charges against five Guantanamo Bay detainees, including one who allegedly plotted to detonate a "dirty bomb" in the U.S., after a prosecutor accused the military of suppressing evidence that could have helped clear them.

But despite the decision, announced Tuesday, there are no plans to free the men. New trial teams are taking another look at the evidence, the military said, and after consulting with intelligence agencies will recommend whether to reinstate charges.

Guantánamo's Bleak Farce

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:42:47 -0400

by Andy Worthington

While the world remains transfixed by the economy and the US election, today's events at the US government's flagship "war on Terror" prison at Guantánamo indicate that the role of the military commissions - the novel system of terror trials created in the wake of the 9/11 attacks - are unravelling at a furious pace, and that what remains of the government's tattered credibility is collapsing alongside them.

ACLU Monitoring Unconstitutional Guantánamo Military Commissions This Week

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:20:18 -0400

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 22, 2008

ACLU

The American Civil Liberties Union is at Guantánamo monitoring the military commission hearings of Omar Khadr and Mohammed Kamin and the arraignment of Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani scheduled to take place this week. The ACLU has been present as an independent observer at nearly every commission hearing since 2004 and continues to see no indication that the proceedings are fair, impartial or in accordance with constitutional principles.

F Is for Failure

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:07:28 -0400

by Tom Engelhardt

On the brief occasions when the President now appears in the Rose Garden to "comfort" or "reassure" a shock-and-awed nation, you can almost hear those legions of ducks quacking lamely in the background. Once upon a time, George W. Bush, along with his top officials and advisors, hoped to preside over a global Pax Americana and a domestic Pax Republicana -- a legacy for the generations. More recently, their highest hope seems to have been to slip out of town in January before the you-know-what hits the fan. No such luck.

Dropped Charges Against Guantánamo Detainees Are Evidence of Failed Policies, Says ACLU

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:17:41 -0400

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 21, 2008

ACLU

The government's decision to drop charges against five detainees held at Guantánamo Bay underscores the complete failure of the indefinite detention system and the need to shut down the prison and the military commissions system, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. According to news reports, the charges were dropped after a prosecutor for another detainee resigned, alleging the military was suppressing evidence favorable to the defense.