DOJ: Gitmo Lawyers Threaten Security, Need Limits
The U.S. Justice Department is seeking greater restrictions on lawyers representing detainees at Guantanamo Bay, saying they are causing “intractable problems and threats to security.”
The U.S. Justice Department is seeking greater restrictions on lawyers representing detainees at Guantanamo Bay, saying they are causing “intractable problems and threats to security,” the New York Times reports.
The DOJ proposes limiting lawyers to three visits with existing clients and barring them from secret evidence used by the military review panels. The department also wants attorney-client mail to be reviewed by intelligence officials and military lawyers not involved in a detainee’s case.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit will consider the request at a May 15 hearing.
Referring to hunger strikes and protests, the DOJ filing with the court says the lawyers have caused unrest and disclosed detainee information to the news media.
Neil H. Koslowe of Shearman & Sterling in Washington, D.C., told the newspaper that assertions of lawyer-driven foment are a “McCarthy-era charge” with no basis.
