Court interpreter at Gitmo trial for accused 9/11 slayers worked at CIA ‘black site,’ defendants say

The first hearing since August in a military case against five men accused of playing a role in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks came to a sudden halt Monday. At least two of the defendants said they recognized the courtroom interpreter at at the U.S. Navy base tribunal at…

Feb 9, 2015 4:20 PM CST

1995-2004: A new millennium

Jan 1, 2015 4:55 AM CST

Senate torture report released; CIA lawyers mulled how to improve acceptance of harsh techniques

Updated: The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee has released a critical report on CIA interrogations on terrorism suspects that were so harsh that some of its officers began questioning their legality. The report says some CIA prisoners were subjected to unapproved “rectal feeding” or “rectal hydration” in an effort to exert…

Dec 9, 2014 11:14 AM CST

Obama reportedly weighs executive action to bypass congressional obstacle and close Guantanamo

President Barack Obama is said to be unwavering in his commitment to close the Guantanamo detention facility, so much so that the White House is drafting options that would allow him to do so through executive action. The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) has a report based on information from…

Oct 10, 2014 8:44 AM CDT

Videos of forced feedings at Gitmo must be released, federal judge rules

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has ordered the release of 28 videos showing a Guantanamo detainee’s forced feedings and removals from his cell. U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler cited a First Amendment right of access to the videotapes, report the New York Times, the Miami Herald and The BLT:…

Oct 6, 2014 8:27 AM CDT

Defense lawyers can’t see secret order on secret motions in cases against alleged terrorist plotters

A Guantanamo judge has issued a secret order on two secret prosecution motions in the cases of detainees accused of plotting the USS Cole bombing and the Sept. 11 attacks. Defense lawyers say the secret filings don’t meet the standards for classified materials, but the position is difficult to argue…

Jul 17, 2014 12:15 PM CDT

White House says notice law didn’t apply in ‘unique circumstances’ of detainee swap

The White House is offering an explanation for President Obama’s decision to authorize a detainee swap freeing Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl without notice to Congress. A federal law requires the secretary of defense to give Congress 30 days’ notice before transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees. But a statement released by National Security…

Jun 4, 2014 12:10 PM CDT

Report: Secret order by military judge requires CIA to reveal ‘black site’ info in USS Cole case

A secret order filed under seal by a military judge in the USS Cole bombing case orders the Central Intelligence Agency to reveal to the defense so-called “black site” details about the overseas detention and interrogation of the defendant over a period of several years. Relying on information from unidentified…

Apr 17, 2014 4:25 PM CDT

Secret Gitmo camp violates Geneva Conventions, lawyer says after visit

A defense lawyer allowed access to a secret camp that is part of the Guantanamo Bay prison has said he plans to challenge the conditions of the facility. James Connell represents Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali (who is also known as Ammar Al-Baluchi), one of five Guantanamo Bay prisoners charged in…

Aug 19, 2013 6:39 PM CDT

What Gitmo detainees are reading: John Grisham books allowed after ‘misunderstanding’

Two books by John Grisham—The King of Torts and The Innocent Man—are no longer off limits to a Guantanamo detainee. The Wall Street Journal Law Blog (sub. req.) inquired about the books after learning they had been seized from a lawyer who brought them for a detainee. Pentagon spokesman Lt.…

Aug 15, 2013 11:15 AM CDT

John Grisham backs release of one of his fans, a Gitmo detainee

Nabil Hadjarab likes John Grisham’s books, but he isn’t allowed to read some of them because of their “impermissible content,” according to the author. Hadjarab is a Guantanamo detainee, Grisham writes in an opinion column for the New York Times. The legal thriller author backs Hadjarab’s release, saying he became…

Aug 12, 2013 12:48 PM CDT

Pentagon will hold parole-type hearings for Gitmo detainees

The Pentagon is preparing to hold parole-board-style hearings for 71 Guantanamo detainees, two years after President Obama first ordered the reviews. Retired Rear Adm. Norton Joerg is processing the cases, the Miami Herald reports in a story also carried by McClatchy-Tribune. In emails to lawyers representing some of the inmates,…

Jul 22, 2013 1:49 PM CDT

Obama is using drone strikes to replace Gitmo detentions, says ex-Bush administration lawyer

A former Bush administration lawyer claims President Barack Obama is relying on drone strikes to kill terrorists because he doesn’t want to capture them and send them to Guantanamo Bay. Lawyer John Bellinger made the accusation at a conference in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday discussing the legality of drone killings,…

May 6, 2013 11:00 AM CDT

4 GOP lawmakers push for Boston bombing suspect to be declared an enemy combatant

Four Republican lawmakers have urged President Obama to declare the captured Boston Marathon bombing suspect an enemy combatant while the investigation into the chain of events continues. But the New York Times points out that while suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is a naturalized American citizen and a Muslim, there is no…

Apr 22, 2013 10:49 AM CDT

US tortured after 9/11, says independent Constitution Project panel report

In the most ambitious effort so far by an independent, bipartisan group to assess American detention and interrogation programs after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a Constitution Project panel has concluded that “it is indisputable that the United States engaged in the practice of torture” in its treatment of detainees. In…

Apr 17, 2013 5:10 PM CDT