CCR Responds to Supreme Court Order in Kiyemba v. Obama

Today, the Supreme Court announced
it will not immediately review the appeals court decision in Kiyemba v.
Obama, barring the release into the United States of thirteen innocent
Uighur men, seven of whom remain imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay.

William Quigley, Legal Director of the Center for
Constitutional Rights, said,

The decision by the Supreme Court to not hear the case of
the thirteen Uighur prisoners who have been detained since 2002 is a major
missed opportunity to reinforce and support the role of the judiciary in
constitutional decisions involving national security. The Court had the
chance to clarify and reinforce its decision in Boumediene v. Bush,
holding that the writ of habeas corpus must be effective, but instead sent the
case back to the lower courts. The impact of the delay will be to prolong
the indefinite imprisonment of people who have been cleared of any wrongdoing.

J. Wells Dixon, a Senior Staff Attorney at the Center for
Constitutional Rights who represents four of these men, said,

We welcome the Supreme Court's vacatur of the appeals court
decision, which no longer stands as an obstacle to meaningful and effective
habeas relief for Guantanamo detainees. But we regret that the Supreme Court's
decision not to review the merits of the case at this time will mean more delay
for our clients.

The Uighurs are represented by the Center for Constitutional
Rights (CCR), Bingham McCutchen LLP, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel
LLP, Miller & Chevalier, Baker & McKenzie LLP, Reprieve, and Elizabeth
Gilson. CCR continues its resettlement efforts toward finding a permanent
home for the Uighurs and other men wrongly detained at Guantanamo.

For more information, visit our Kiyemba v.
Obama Case Page.

CCR has led the legal battle over Guantanamo for over eight years -
sending the first ever habeas attorney to the base and sending the first
attorney to meet with a former CIA "ghost detainee" there. CCR has
been responsible for organizing and coordinating more than 500 pro bono lawyers
across the country in order to represent the men at Guantanamo, ensuring that
nearly all have the option of legal representation. In addition, CCR has been
working to resettle the approximately 60 men who remain at Guantanamo because
they cannot return to their country of origin for fear of persecution and
torture.