Drugging of detainess...

Jason Leopold and Jeffery Kaye are out with a new report today. This one on the use of mind altering drugs on detainees while they were being interrogated. "Detainees in custody of the US military were interrogated while drugged with powerful antipsychotic and other medications that "could impair an individual's ability to provide accurate information," according to a declassified Department of Defense (DoD) inspector general's report that probed the alleged use of "mind altering drugs" during interrogations."


This is of course disturbing on so many levels but to put it in perspective just remember that the DC Court of Appeals- the one that hears all of the appeals for Gitmo detainees - has said that it presumes that everything the detainees are alleged to have said is true and accurate and the burden is on the detainee to prove otherwise...couple that with the fact that it is virtually impossible to get the medical records of our clients....

Civil Liberties Still alive in Europe

A committee of the European Parliament has released its report on the secret CIA prisons in Europe and is recommending that all European member countries do an examination of their role in the renditions and secret prisons. Read more here. This will go to a full vote of the European Parliament in September....once it passes it will no longer be a recommendation but will be an Order....

Mr. Transparency....

As everyone knows Obama could not quite get around to closing Guantanamo....but did you know that his department of "justice" is now working to try to keep the attorneys out of Guantanamo? In his latest moves the government is refusing to let attorneys whose clients lost their habeas cases visit their clients...once all appeals are concluded. Apparently Obama thinks these men should not be allowed any further legal representation and that it would be just fine to let these men go back into the darkness of Guantanamo....The government is asking that they be given the sole right to decide when OR IF a detainee needs further legal help and that the attorneys not be allowed to use any of the information they obtained from their clients to help their clients.

Rumors...

There are also rumors today that the Tunisians may be heading home. A delegation from Tunisia went to the base last week-most likely to meet with the remaining Tunisians-and they are hoping that the US will announce that their countrymen can go back home.

Sudanese detainee released....

It was announced today that a sudanese detainee that is one of the first detainees to have landed at Gitmo has now been released. He is accused of being a foot soldier for bin Laden and he pled guilty in the military commission two years ago. Carol Rosenberg has more here.

Today, 168 detainees remain at the detention center in Guantanamo Bay.