New Campaign by Human Rights First re: Gitmo

Click on the title for more.

NYTs Corrects Itself Again....sort of.

The New York Times has "corrected" the headlines of its repeat story but not the story itself. In an email exchange I had with the public editor yesterday he told me that the NYT stands by the story itself because "The article also pointed out, independently, that the report said 74 former prisoners had engaged in terrorism or militant activity, or were suspected of it, but only 29 were identified – a strong caution for careful readers." Mr. Hoyt also thought the story was more responsible because it wasn't on the front page...sigh.

In a return email I pointed out to Mr. Hoyt that I did not believe that " newspaper articles should be “tricks” that if people read “carefully” they will see the pitfalls.... When the Pentagon makes a report the news reporters job is not to parrot the story but to investigate."

CLICK ON THE TITLE FOR MORE.

And when all else fails.....

Keep your sense of humor.

(Click on the title for more.)

The Sins of Guantanamo: We're keeping detainees in the camp because we're afraid of things they haven't done yet?

Click on the title to read Dahlia Lithwick's insightful piece on the dangerous paranoia plaguing Guantanamo that has resulted in the continued detention of innocent men.

Attorney Cori Crider writes of her Yemeni client at Gitmo

New York Times re-runs retracted story from last year....

They were called on this garbage last year when they claimed that 1 in 7 Gitmo prisoners who were released "returned to terrorism" and they ended up having to retract the story. Maybe they thought no one would notice if they re-ran the garbage again this year....well Shane did.

Click on the title for more.

And if this makes you as angry as it made me, let the New York Times know:

public@nytimes.com

Here is what I had to say to them:

"I really cannot believe you are running a remake of last year’s fake story on the supposed recidivism rate of the Gitmo prisoners. In fact, if you read through the story it is clear that the NYT is hiding the fact that there really is no story here (administration denies that they have seen any hard evidence to support the numbers.) Who has seen that hard evidence? Perhaps Dick “I will make up anything I need to justify what I did” Cheney?

Decent newspapers are a rarity these days and it seems to me that the NYT is hanging by a thread."

Best regards,

Candace

The Cook Must Stay Detained Forever

Yikes.... keeping with its reputation of being the most right wing Circuit in the country the DC Circuit has just made a sweeping ruling that basically gives carte blanche to the military to hold the men at Guantanamo forever.....

Click on the title to read the decision.

Click here to read a summary analysis from ScotUS.

The definitive list of Gitmo prisoners...thanks to Andy Worthington

Andy Worthington just updated his definitive Guantanamo

prisoner list (first published last March), which provides information and links about all 779 prisoners:

http://tinyurl.com/ykckztm

SHAME ON ABC

ABC reported on monday that a former gitmo prisoner was involved in the incident aboard the Amsterdam/Detroit flight on Christmas. Soon thereafter the story was widely disseminated. Only problem is that the guy they were accusing (Muhamad Attik al-Harbi) had turned himself over to Saudi officials back in February, after his picture showed up on an Al-Queda recruitment video.

Click on the title for ABCs "correction" of its sloppy journalism....

Should we hold the Yemeni's forever?

Some on the rights fringe are arguing that the 92 or so men from Yemen being held at Guantanamo should be held by us forever because Yemen has too many political problems. Many of these men have been cleared for release (for years...) and are clearly innocent of any wrong doing....minor details. Click on the title to read what Andy Worthington has to say about these men and why they should be allowed to go home.

Should we go back to torture?

Eric Lewis is one of the Gitmo attorneys. Click on the title to read what he has to say about the Detroit plane incident....

Twelve Released

Over the weekend, four Afghan detainees, Abdul Hafiz, Sharifullah, Mohamed Rahim and Mohammed Hashim, were transferred to the Government of Afghanistan. In addition, two Somali detainees, Mohammed Soliman Barre and Ismael Arale, were transferred to regional authorities in Somaliland. Finally, six Yemeni detainees, Jamal Muhammad Alawi Mari, Farouq Ali Ahmed, Ayman Saeed Abdullah Batarfi, Muhammaed Yasir Ahmed Taher, Fayad Yahya Ahmed al Rami and Riyad Atiq Ali Abdu al Haf, were transferred to the Government of Yemen.

Habeas Scorecard

The Washington Independent has started a new "habeas scorecard" keeping track of the wins and losses of the habeas corpus petitions. As of todays latest ruling in favor of the detainee (Yemeni detainee, Saeed Hatim) the score is 32 wins (for habeas petitioners) and 9 losses (for habeas petitioners...). In other words.... 4 out of 5 cases (80%) have been won by the detainees.

Click on the title for more.

I HAVE NOTHING MORE TO SAY....except....

Citizen Gorman here….(only kidding Judge…and DOJ)

I just have one clarification….I never argued (even implicitly) that the DOJ should not be allowed to seek court approval to designated matters “protected”…. I only argued that they should be required to follow the guidelines that they established…instead of just make it up as they go along.

Anyway it is a good thing I have a sense of humor.

Click here to read the order.

Amicus and other briefs in the Supreme Court Kiyemba (1) case

Sorry for the delay in getting these up on the blog. The Kiyemba case that is pending in the Supreme Court is looking at the issue of whether men who won their habeas case at Guantanamo and cannot go back to their home country can be released into the United States. First link is to the very readable and important amicus brief written by Charles Gittings (from the project to enforce the geneva conventions):

Supreme Court --

December 11, 2009
Kiyemba v. Obama, No. 08-1234
AMICUS BRIEF OF CHARLES B. GITTINGS JR. IN SUPPORT OF PETITIONERS

http://www.pegc.us/Kiyemba_Merits/08-1234%20tsac%20Charles%20Gittings.pdf


All the merits briefs for Petitioners and Amici are here:

http://www.pegc.us/Kiyemba_Merits/