Death at Guantanamo.....

I reported on the untimely death of William Kuebler last week.  Kuebler died from a very agressive form of cancer. What I did not mention last week was the number of other attorneys and staff involved in the military commissions who have developed cancer and other serious illnesses. I was waiting until the letter from us (the habeas attorneys) to be sent to the Department of Defense (DOD) expressing our concern and demanding a full independent investigation. Since the news is out before our letter went out let me share some of the concerns and coverage. First, it seems that the DOD has been aware of the possible cancer cluster for quite some time-- the location of the commission is at the site of an abandoned airstrip where the military buried jet fuel and the initial building that was used for the commission was long abandoned before the military commissions got started- raising the concern that asbestos might have been used in the construction. But no worries because the DOD is "looking into it...."--I will just remind everyone that it was not until last month that the DOD finally admitted that there is a connection between agent orange and the health problems of our vietnam vets. Anyway, three have died of rare and agressive cancers and by our count about 20 are or have been seriously ill- this includes attorneys on both sides and other staff.
Carol Rosenberg has more here.
Read more here and here.