Thursday, October 18, 2007

Suicide and Spin Doctors

This is the article I wrote for "In These Times" that caused McCarthy to spin his latest tale... (click on the title...) One day the truth will come out about this too McCarthy.

CAPTAIN MCCARTHY CLAIMS HE SAW THE BODY BUT NO ONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD BELIEVE A WORD HE SAYS

When the young Saudi Detainee Abdel Rahman Al Amri died in May of this year, the government claimed it was an "apparent suicide". My client Mr. Al-Ghizzawi claimed it was medical neglect and that Mr. Amri died from untreated hepatitis B and TB. Captain McCarthy, the man who holds himself up as the top military lawyer at the base is now claiming that Mr. Amri hung himself with some string like stuff and that he saw the body. So who do you believe?
I will give you a hint.
Everything Mr. Al-Ghizzawi has ever told me has been backed up by the governments own records.
Captain McCarthy on the other hand does not have such a stellar record. On my first visit to the base the military screwed up and did not allow me to visit one of my clients. It became apparent that this was not just a mistake but that it was intentional....so I filed what is called a "rule to show cause" asking the judge to hold the military in contempt of court (I had a court order to see that second client). Captain McCarthy (a man I have never met) prepared a long affidavit explaining that the reason that I did not get to see my client was my own fault. He made up a bunch of lies, some just plain silly, others more nefarious.... I asked the judge to strike McCarthy's affidavit because it was not based on any of his own personal knowledge. The judge refused to strike the affidavit but instead said that he would determine how much weight to give McCarthy's affidavit... after hearing the testimony he gave McCarthy's affidavit ZERO weight.... in non legal terms that would be like saying "McCarthy you are a liar."
So back to my question above? Who do you believe?
I say McCarthy is covering up for the medical neglect at Guantanamo just like he tried to cover up for the intentional interference of my visit with my client. I say that anything that McCarthy says should be given the same weight it was given by the good Judge....ZERO weight.
Click on the title above to read the story from the Miami Herald.