A Note on Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

Clearly, the administration's spin-doctors are using Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's confessions to justify the Combatant Status Review Tribunal process.

Let us remember that Sheikh Mohammed's presence in Camp Delta has been a PR stunt since his (relatively recent) arrival with 13 other "high value" detainees during the legislative push for the Military Commissions Act.

As Captain Yee observes:

It became more clear that if our military and government had captured a legitimate terrorist suspect, they would not have been brought to Guantanamo Bay at all, but to the secret CIA black sites, that the President admitted existed when he transferred 14 so-called "high value" terrorist suspects to Guantanamo in September 2006 in order to get Congressional support for the Military Commissions Act after the Administration lost in its attempt to unilaterally impose military commissions of its own devising after the Hamdan case. Only at that time were any real terrorists possibly connected with September 11th brought to GTMO.

- Adrian Bleifuss Prados

More Tidbits:

A replica of David Hicks' cell tours Australia.

Spaniards march against Guantánamo.

British residents in limbo.

Editorial on GTMO and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed from The Telegraph.

- Adrian Bleifuss Prados

Tidbits:

• The Raw Story reports that House Democrats have put Guantánamo on the back burner.
• Karen Greenberg gives the straight story on GTMO.
• TomPaine.com reflects on the Supreme Court and the future of habeas corpus.

James Yee on the Talking Dog

The Talking Dog is a reliable source of excellent interviews on Guantánamo. On Sunday, TD posted an interview with James Yee, Guantánamo's former Muslim Chaplain. Captain Yee was charged with espionage and sedition as well as numerous other charges (all of which were dropped).

The interview touches on the rarely-reported juvenile prisoners held in Camp Iguana:

As for the juveniles, there were at least three boys in Camp Iguana between 12 and 14 years old. There were at least 6 others, by the way, who were 15 or 16, definitely younger than 18, in general population. The three in Camp Iguana I met weekly. We were led to believe they were "hard core terrorists" but this was utterly ridiculous. The guards in charge of them would frequently discipline them with "time-outs" just as many American parents discipline their own children.

And on the Yee's general impression of the GMTO population:

The expectations I had, both from the military itself and our political leaders, were that we were holding 700 totally hard core terrorists. Of course, that's not at all what I encountered when I got there. It became clear that none of the individuals we were holding at Guantanamo were connected in any way to the September 11th attacks. It became more clear that if our military and government had captured a legitimate terrorist suspect, they would not have been brought to Guantanamo Bay at all, but to the secret CIA black sites, that the President admitted existed when he transferred 14 so-called "high value" terrorist suspects to Guantanamo in September 2006 in order to get Congressional support for the Military Commissions Act after the Administration lost in its attempt to unilaterally impose military commissions of its own devising after the Hamdan case. Only at that time were any real terrorists possibly connected with September 11th brought to GTMO.

New on Huffington Post:

Candace has a new entry on Huffington Post in which she asks, just how many detainees have actually "returned to the battlefied?"

A Note on Mishal al-Harbi:

Sunday's Washington Post featured an article on Mishal al-Harbi, a former Guantánamo inmate who suffered brain damage under mysterious while at the base. Al-Harbi's family suspects that he was beaten by the guards, the U.S. maintains that the his brain was deprived of oxygen during an attempted suicide by hanging. Either way, al-Harbi is a victim of the Guantánamo's brutality and dehumanization.

Today, the internet news service Islam Online, features its own angry response (via Turkish Weekly) to al-Harbi's story ... another example of how Guantánamo undermines the U.S.' stated aim of improving its image in the Muslim world.

- Adrian Bleifuss Prados

The Boston Globe Speaks Up for the Uighurs

Yesterday, in a strong editorial (featuring quotes from our friend Sabin Willett), the Boston Globe denounced the treatment and continued "detention" of the Guantánamo Uighurs, members of a Muslim ethnic group from western China.

So Guantanamo will continue as an international symbol of this country's retreat from its rule-of-law traditions. Gates has wisely decided not to go ahead with a planned $100 million court complex for the base. He could make it even clearer that he is changing the self-destructive course the country is on there by releasing the Uighurs.

Releasing the Uighurs would be a good start - but let's not forget the hundreds of other prisoners languishing in that Cuban dungeon, victims of the Bush Administration's kangaroo justice.

- Adrian Bleifuss Prados

The Gagging of Michael Mori

Apparently, Colonel Moe Davis' six-point strategy for media manipulation has been axed in favor of simpler methods.

According to The Age, Major Michael Mori, David Hick's military attorney, has been gagged by the authorities for campaigning a bit too effectively in the Land Down Under.

- Adrian Bleifuss Prados

Reporters Without Borders on Sami Al-Haj

The Paris-based group is speaking out on behalf of Sudanese cameraman Sami Al-Haj, who is now on hunger strike:

Al-Haj has been held by the Americans for five years without being charged, in disgraceful conditions and in violation of all international conventions on the treatment of prisoners ... Legitimately but in vain, he tried to assert his rights to the military authorities. While we could not encourage him to pursue a hunger strike, we strongly condemn the fact that he was fed by force.

The Washington Post on Colonel Moe:

Are the editors of the Washington Post reading Huffington Post?

Reporter Envy II:

The DoD has announced press briefings on the 14 "high value detainees" being held at GTMO. While these men have been given no access to lawyers, reporters are now being allowed to review their Combatant Status Review Tribunals.

The DoD is also briefing the media (but not habeas counsel) on the Administrative Review Board process. Candace recently sent submissions on behalf of her clients for the latest round of ARBs.

Maybe some friendly reporter will fill us in?

Moe and his six-point plan...

In a new Huff-Po piece, Candace goes after Colonel Moe Davis, the chief prosecutor for the GTMO military commissions. Moe is in the awkward position of having to defend Guantánamo's Kangaroo justice. Apparently his strategy involves attacking Major Dan Mori, the military defense lawyer of Australian prisoner David Hicks. Fortunately, the Colonel has prepared a six-point manual on how to manipulate the press.

The Colonel put his thoughts into writing in a really interesting article that set up his "six point plan" for effectively engaging the military in public opinion. Moe's plan calls for the military to be a bit more aggressive in how it handles the media. It's a plan that calls for the military to go on the offensive and "define" a controversy before it "erupts." You have to give the Colonel credit for foresight, he knew that this was definitely one of those controversies that was ripe for eruption: not only because all of the serious charges against Hicks were dropped; but also because the only charge left against Hicks was something that wasn't even against the law when Hicks was arrested...ouch. Couple that with the increased awareness by the Australian people about the real story behind Hicks and Guantánamo, and you have a bonafide controversy waiting to erupt.

Moazzam Begg talks to the Dog

The Talking Dog has posted another excellent interview; this time with former Guantánamo inmate, Moazzam Begg. Here are a few highlights:

Begg recalls his relationships with the guards:

The interrogators and guards varied from person to person and from place to place. Bagram was a much harsher regime than even Guantanamo... I came across a number of decent soldiers and interrogators that I would be happy to call friends. At Guantanamo I had a number of conversations, and indeed, interpersonal relationships, with guards that I considered just amazing. I learned an awful lot from these people, and about them.

And his time in the prisons at the Bagram airbase:

I will never forget what transpired in Bagram... this is the base that was bombed just the day before yesterday [during Dick Cheney's visit to Afghanistan].. I was held there for a year. I was hog-tied– left in painful positions or hours, interrogated, kicked, beaten,... but I remember the screaming of a woman in the next cell, and I was led to believe that she was my wife.

I witnessed the deaths (or the beatings that led to the deaths) of two detainees at Bagram... this will never go away.

I met a number of former Irish prisoners... they were interned for years without trial, held in hoods, subjected to white noise– the commonality of their experience with mine was remarkable... just replace Northern Ireland with Guantanamo and it was almost virtually the same.

New on HuffPo:

Candace has a new piece in Huffington Post, Camp 6: The Worst of the Worst. In it she describes her meeting with Al-Ghizzawi in Camp 6, Guantánamo's newest and cruelest prison facility:

The windowless six-by-six closet-size room had two chairs and a table. Mr. Al-Ghizzawi was stooping low to the floor and huddled against the wall when I entered. His arms were wrapped around his body as he tried to warm himself from the chill he has had for over two months, and his feet were shackled to the floor. He was shivering, his teeth were clenched and he wouldn't look at me.

He told me that I was his guest so he did not want to insult me by not visiting with me, but that he was feeling very ill and he was ashamed to have me see him in orange. You see, the orange jumpsuits are worn by prisoners who are being punished. Mr. Al-Ghizzawi explained to me that when he went to take a shower two days earlier he had toilet paper in his pocket. It is forbidden for the prisoners to have anything in their pocket when they go for showers. That landed Mr. Al-Ghizzawi two days in the orange jumpsuit. It made him feel like a criminal.

Close Guantanamo Now!

Amnesty's Make Some Noise campaign has received many homemade videos calling for the closing of the Guantánamo Bay camps. The above video is a "mash up" of various submissions.