Guantanamo/Detainees

CIA Interrogation Tapes Found Under Desk; Judge Was Told They Didn’t Exist

A Justice Department prosecutor is investigating why the CIA never disclosed interrogation videotapes made at a Moroccan facility before they were found under a desk in 2007. The tapes show the interrogation of accused Sept. 11 plotter Ramzi Binalshibh at a Moroccan detention center largely financed by the CIA, sources…

Aug 17, 2010 12:45 PM CDT

Military Lawyer Who Collapsed in Khadr Trial Being Airlifted to US for Treatment

Updated: The military lawyer who collapsed yesterday while defending Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr may be suffering from a problem related to gallbladder surgery he had six weeks ago and is being airlifted from the base for medical treatment on the mainland. The trial will be delayed for at least 30…

Aug 13, 2010 2:00 PM CDT

Omar Khadr’s Military Lawyer Collapses at Hearing

The military lawyer for Omar Khadr, who is being tried in Guantanamo Bay, collapsed at the end of a hearing Thursday. Army Lt. Col. Jon Jackson, who began coughing and asked the judge for a brief recess, collapsed when he reached for a bottle of water, the Toronto Star reports.…

Aug 12, 2010 9:37 PM CDT

Captured at 15 and Held By US at Gitmo, Khadr Says He Nixed 5-Year Plea Deal

In a new wrinkle in the already-controversial terrorism case against a Canadian man imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay since he was a juvenile, a United States military tribunal in Cuba has refused Omar Khadr’s request to fire both his military and civilian counsel. Khadr, now 23, also said he intended to…

Jul 12, 2010 6:37 PM CDT

AG Holder Works to Jay-Z During the Day, Sound of Silence at Night

Attorney General Eric Holder makes his most difficult decisions in the middle of the night, including his determination to try Sept. 11 detainees in New York. Holder picked the New York venue at 1 a.m. at his home while eating Chips Ahoy, the Washington Post reports. The newspaper notes his…

Jul 6, 2010 1:52 PM CDT

Senator Sees ‘Inertia’ Over Closing of Gitmo Prison

President Obama is unlikely to implement his campaign pledge to close the prison holding terrorism detainees at Guantanamo Bay before his term ends in 2013. Political opposition and a focus on other issues are putting the closing on the back burner, the New York Times reports. Congressional committees voted to…

Jun 28, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

ABA Prez Opposes Measure Authorizing Pentagon Probes of Gitmo Lawyers

The American Bar Association is opposing a provision in a House defense bill that authorizes the Pentagon inspector general to investigate lawyers for Guantanamo detainees for suspected misconduct that interferes with operations there. The measure requires an investigation of military or civilian lawyers when there is a reasonable suspicion that…

May 28, 2010 3:01 PM CDT

DC Circuit Rules 3 Detainees at Afghan Airbase Have No Right to Habeas

A federal appeals court has ruled that three detainees held at the Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan do not have a right to a habeas hearing in U.S. courts. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled today in the case of two Yemenis and a Tunisian…

May 21, 2010 4:08 PM CDT

Four Gitmo Reporters Banned from Hearings for Using Interrogator’s Name

Four journalists covering Guantanamo court hearings this week have been booted from future sessions of the military commissions for violating a secrecy order and publishing the name of “Interrogator No. 1.” The reporters who got the boot are Miami Herald reporter Carol Rosenberg, Toronto Star reporter Michelle Shephard, The Globe…

May 7, 2010 1:01 PM CDT

Whither the Uighurs?

Court passes on the fate of Chinese Muslims remaining at Gitmo

May 1, 2010 7:30 AM CDT

Fired US Attorney Is a Gitmo Prosecutor in Case of Teen Captured in Afghanistan

Fired U.S. Attorney David Iglesias is back in the news, this time for his role in the prosecution of a Canadian teen captured on an Afghanistan battlefield. Iglesias, a captain in the Navy reserves, was mobilized to Guantanamo’s military commissions last year, the Miami Herald reports. Now he is part…

Apr 30, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

Obama Administration Lawyers ‘Deeply Divided’ Over Enemy Combatants

Obama administration lawyers have pulled back from claims that the president has far-reaching powers to indefinitely detain terrorism suspects, but they have disagreed behind the scenes on the paramaters. The lawyers are “deeply divided,” the Washington Post reports. “The rift has been most pronounced between top lawyers in the State…

Mar 29, 2010 12:46 PM CDT

CIA Lawyer Reportedly Given Immunity in Probe of Destroyed Interrogation Tapes

CIA lawyer John McPherson has reportedly been given immunity to testify in a probe into the destruction of videotapes showing harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects. Two sources told the Washington Post that McPherson could be called to testify before a grand jury later this month or in April. McPherson had…

Mar 25, 2010 1:09 PM CDT

Supreme Court Lets Stand Order Keeping Judges Out of Gitmo Transfer Decisions

The U.S. Supreme Court has let stand an order barring federal judges from ruling on the transfer of detainees from Guantanamo Bay. SCOTUSblog says the refusal to review the federal appeals court decision is “a significant victory for the federal government, enhancing its authority to decide when and where to…

Mar 22, 2010 2:46 PM CDT

Obama Advisers Likely to Recommend Military Trial for 9/11 Mastermind

President Obama’s advisers are about to recommend a military trial for the man who has taken credit for masterminding the Sept. 11 attacks, a published report says. Anonymous administration officials told the Washington Post that the advisers are close to completing a review of the case of 9/11 mastermind Khalid…

Mar 5, 2010 12:28 PM CST