Reminder: Chicago event tonight...

Admiral Don Guter will also be joining Amnesty International’s panel discussion following a screening of “The Response” – a 30-min courtroom drama based on the actual transcripts of the Guantanamo military tribunals tonight starting at 6:30.

Click on the title for all the details....

Could they be coming to their senses? (UPDATED)

Apparently the Government has changed its collective mind and is now willing to release the young Jawad to his native Afghanistan.
Click on the title and click here for a report from ScotUS.

Well, whether the Government is coming to it's senses or not...the good judge never lost her senses! Click here to read more . The bottom line: the judge has ordered the release of the young Jawad....his life will forever be shattered but we all wish him the best.......... Read more about today's court hearing here.

Another Habeas Win

Judge Kollar-Kotelly has granted the habeas petition of Khaled Al Mutairi who went to Afghanistan in 2001 to build a mosque with money from his parents. He was accused of being associated with Al-Wafa and Al-Qaida, although the government's only evidence was his own admission that he donated money to Al-Wafa (unaware of any terrorist connections) and the appearance of his name on various lists of prisoners held in Pakistan.
Congratulations to Al Mutairi's counsel David Cynamon and Matthew Maclean.

Let The Games Continue...(updated)

The Government has now abandoned the Habeas case of Mohammon Jawad (the Guantanamo prisoner who might have been as young as 12 years old when we sent him to Gitmo)....but it is not because they are conceding they have lost his case (the only evidence they had against him were statements tortured out of him). No apparently the DOJ still believes it don't need no stinkin evidence...they just want to get him out of the reach of his habeas judge and into another court room. Judge Huvelle, Jawad's habeas judge saw what was coming and was holding the government's collective feet to the fire (if anyone can provide a link to the transcript from the hearing on July 16th I would be happy to post it for all to read...it is a must read!)but the DOJ continues to be the slick SOB's of the past eight years so we will have to wait it out to see what happens here.
Here is the link to the transcriptMany thanks to RM for providing the link.

Update

Several of you have sent me emails and left comments on this blog asking me what is going on with my clients and with their cases. I will try to provide a brief update. Al-Ghizzawi is still alive. When I saw him in May he looked better than he had looked since first being locked up in Camp 6. This is not to say that he is not still a very ill man, he it. But he is no longer subjected to 22-24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every week of the year…in solitary confinement and that has helped.
I will see both of my clients again in August.
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO FINISH....

Finally an investigation of one of the many war crimes?

Late last year I noted a report from McClatchy news about the destruction of the war crimes site in Afghanistan where thousands of men were massacred after being taken prisoner. Seems now that Obama might want to do an investigation of that atrocity. It is well known that american forces stood by and looked the other way while Dostum's men stuffed thousands of men in shipping containers. When the men started screaming for air soldiers took their machine guns and shot holes in the containers....when all was said and done thousands of men were dead from suffocation and bullets. Some of the survivors ended up at guantanamo and were ultimately released because of course they were guilty of no wrong doing. An investigation will be difficult with the actual site having been destroyed last year but it is time to take the statements of those who survived and figure out what role our military/government played in this crime.

Click on the title for a link to Scott Horton's take on this ....and follow his links to the stories reporting this massacre. Click here to read the emptywheel's take on this.

July 31 in Chicago-

Amnesty International USA invites you to witness "The Response" - a 30-min courtroom drama based on the actual transcripts of the Guantanamo military tribunals and meet producer/writer/actor Sig Libowitz along with actress Kate Mulgrew, Candace Gorman, Chicago-based lawyer and activist best known for representing two Guantanamo detainees and attorney Gary Isaac of Mayer Brown, author of numerous amici brief in the Gitmo cases. Doors open at 6:30pm for a cocktail reception, followed by a 7:00pm film screening and panel discussion at the University Center (525 S State St, Chicago - adjacent to Harrison CTA Red Line Stop). Event is free and open to the public - RSVP's are strongly encouraged - cneff@aiusa.org. Co-sponsored by the University of Maryland School of Law, American Constitution Society, Jenner & Block, Mayer Brown, Chicago Lawyer's Committee, Chicago Council of Lawyers, Public Interest Law Initiative & ACLU - Illinois.

my experiences representing gitmo prisoners

Last year the American Bar Association's Litigation Magazine asked if I would write an article about my experiences representing two men at Guantanamo. Last week it was published. Click on the title to read what I had to say.... this is reprinted by permission from the ABA.
Thanks again to PEGC for taking the pdf and providing a link to the article.

TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION ....THE OLD FASHION WAY

Talking Dog Interviews Charles Gittings

Click on the title for the interview. As many of you know Charly is the founder of PEGC, the project to enforce the geneva conventions.
Charly is also someone who has been a great help to me and to this blog (small example... I can't post PDFs on blogspot so when I have a PDF that I want to bring to your attention Charly posts it on his blog and then gives me the link). Like many of the friends that I have made through my Guantanamo work I have not met Charly and only know those things about him that have come up in our emails.
So read the interview yourself and I am sure you will agree that Charly is one amazing man. Thank you Talking Dog for another great interview and thank you Charly for your dedication not only in your attempts to bring our country in line with the geneva conventions but in continuing to expose the illegal actions of our Government and "the war on terror"....

From Roger Fitch and Our Friends Down Under at Justinian

Roger Fitch Esq • July 1, 2009

Our Man in Washington

“Terrorist Incapacitation” – the new gloss for indefinite detention … If tax lawyers can be indicted for fraudulent advice, why not John Yoo for torture advice? ... Suppressed report on “interrogation policy” due to see the light of day

Michael Jackson’s death provided the perfect cover for a Friday afternoon “bad news dump”, e.g. the strategically leaked report that the Obama administration is drafting a Bush-like executive order to allow indefinite detention of terrorist suspects.

CLICK ON THE TITLE FOR THE REST.....

LINKS THAT HAVE COME MY WAY...

If you only have time to read one of these click on the title and read the "torture documentaries" by Julia Lesage.... it is long but well worth the read....
If you have more time below are some interesting links that came my way while I was taking a little time off....


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/30/AR2009063002897.html

http://gitmotourism.blogspot.com/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/31452082#31452082

http://thepoliticalcarnival.blogspot.com/2009/06/part-2-gitmo-detainee-obama-has-perhaps.html

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY

CLICK ON THE TITLE AND THEN FOLLOW UP WITH THIS LINK:

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/rumsfeld_on_abandoning_geneva_all_of_a_sudden_it_w.php?ref=fpb