Perhaps they will claim they didn't want to go there anyway....

We can only hope more countries will ban these war criminals.....

MOSCOW -- Russia on Saturday named 18 Americans banned from entering the country in response to Washington imposing sanctions on 18 Russians for alleged human rights violations. The list released by the Foreign Ministry includes John Yoo, a former U.S. Justice Department official who wrote legal memos authorizing harsh interrogation techniques; David Addington, the chief of staff for former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney; and two former commanders of the Guantanamo Bay detention center: retired Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller and Adm. Jeffrey Harbeson. The move came a day after the United States announced its sanctions under the Magnitsky Law, named for Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who was arrested in 2008 for tax evasion after accusing Russian police officials of stealing $230 million in tax rebates. He died in prison the next year, allegedly after being beaten and denied medical treatment. Neither Washington nor Moscow put high-ranking or politically prominent figures on their lists, perhaps aiming to limit the effect on U.S.-Russian relations that have deteriorated, despite President Barack Obama's initiative to "reset" relations with Moscow. The Magnitsky law infuriated Russian authorities, and parliament quickly passed a retaliatory measure than banned Americans from adopting Russian children. Russia also has banned U.S. funding for any non-governmental organization deemed to be engaging in politics. "I think that both sides showed a definite restraint because in Washington and in Moscow there were hotheads demanding to inflate the list to an unthinkable size," parliament member Vyacheslav Nikonov, who focuses on foreign affairs, was quoted as saying by the news agency Interfax. The ITAR-Tass news agency quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying there also is a "closed part" of the list of banned Americans and that the United States knows of its existence. The U.S. law in turn allows the administration to compile a separate classified list of Russian officials subject to visa bans. The public U.S. list includes Artem Kuznetsov and Pavel Karpov, two Russian Interior Ministry officers who put Magnitsky behind bars after he accused them of stealing $230 million from the state. Two tax officials the lawyer accused of approving the fraudulent tax refunds, and several other Interior Ministry officials accused of persecuting Magnitsky, also were on the list. Absent were senior officials from Russia's President Vladimir Putin's entourage whom some human rights advocates had hoped to see sanctioned. Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement Saturday that the U.S. sanctions struck "a strong blow to bilateral relations and joint trust." The U.S. Embassy in Moscow said it had no immediate comment. Also on Russia's list are 14 Americans whom Russia says violated the rights of Russians abroad. It does not give specifics of the alleged violations, but includes several current or former federal prosecutors in the case of Viktor Bout, the Russian arms merchant sentenced in 2012 to 25 years in prison for selling weapons to a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist group. A federal judge, one FBI agent and four U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents also are on the list. Some of them were involved in the case of Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot convicted for drug smuggling. "It's important that the criteria on which the Russian list was composed differ fundamentally from the Americans'. On the Russian list, including the closed part, are people actually responsible for the legalization of torture and indefinite detention of prisoners in Guantanamo, for arrests and unjust sentences for our countrymen," Ryabkov was quoted as saying.

Hot off the presses....

Rear Adm. Richard W. Butler, will be assigned as commander, Joint Task Force Guantanamo, U.S. Southern Command, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Butler is currently serving as deputy director, Air Warfare Division, N98B, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.

Rear Adm. John W. Smith Jr., will be assigned as commandant, Joint Forces Staff College, National Defense University, Norfolk, Va.  Smith is currently serving as commander, Joint Task Force Guantanamo, U.S. Southern Command, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

As one of my astute colleagues noted (hoped?) perhaps Butler will have better luck reining in Army Col. Bogdan or at least make him drink the water publicly.......

In other news...

Read this important article by Jim White over at Emptywheel which discusses not only the visit by the International Red Cross's (ICRC) President to the White House to discuss the alarming hunger strike situation at Guantanamo (following a visit by the ICRC to Guantanamo) but also a story that I somehow missed-military defense emails were turned over to the prosecution. This of course compromises every military commission proceeding- sigh.

Guantanamo in the news...

Thanks to the center for constitutional rights for keeping me and the other Gitmo attorneys up to date on the coverage of the hunger strike and other Gitmo news. The center has been the umbrella organization for the volunteer attorneys. If you have any spare change donate to them.

Here is the latest....

GTMO News Roundup 4/12/13

Aljazeera: Guantanamo inmates on mass hunger strike (video)

The Atlantic: The Guantanamo Tribunals Can't Continue On Like This

Politics (UK): Petition on last Briton in Guantanamo hits crucial 100K mark

Press TV: Activists urge US govt. to shut Gitmo (video)

The Real News: Wikileaks Releases Kissinger Cables and Two Decisions in Manning Trial

Russia Today: Gitmo vs Govt: Force-feeding via tubes in nostrils 'humane'? (video)

   

4/11

AFP: Protesters demand Obama close Guantanamo Bay prison

Eurasia Review: As Guantánamo Hunger Strike Continues, Activists Rally Nationwide In US

Firedoglake: ‘The Nightmare Has Started Again,’ According to Hunger Striking Guantanamo Prisoner

The Guardian: Three key lessons from the Obama administration's drone lies   

Miami Herald: Red Cross chief: End political blockage on Guantánamo

Reuters: Guantanamo pretrial hearing delayed as legal files vanish

Russia Today: 'Gitmo prisoners treated like guinea pigs by amateur staff' (video)

New York Times: Hearing in Cole Attack Is Delayed Again, This Time by E-mail Security Issue

Washington Post: Guantanamo dogged by new controversy after mishandling of e-mails

4/10

Between the Lines: Indefinite Detention Without Charge or Trial Triggers Widespread Guantanamo Prisoner Hunger Strike (audio)

Musical interlude....

I haven't done one in a while- thank you whoever posted this in response to my article at Michael Moore's web page.

Talking Dog Interviews Matt O'Hara

As I mentioned yesterday the Dog has been on a wild run- with new interviews of Gitmo attorneys on a daily basis- today's is fellow Chicagoan Matt O'Hara. Another fine interview by the Dog and it makes me proud to be in such great company.
Read the interview here.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights- Guantanamo "is in clear breach of International law."

NAVI PILLAY SAYS GUANTANAMO DETENTION REGIME IS IN “CLEAR BREACH OF
INTERNATIONAL LAW” AND SHOULD BE CLOSED



The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Friday urged all branches of the United States Government to work together to close the Guantanamo detention centre, saying “the continuing indefinite incarceration of many of the detainees amounts to arbitrary detention and is in clear breach of international law.”

“I am deeply disappointed that the US Government has not been able to close Guantanamo Bay, despite repeatedly committing itself to do so,” Ms. Pillay said.  “Allegedly, around half of the 166 detainees still being held in detention have been cleared for transfer to either home countries or third countries for resettlement.  Yet they remain in detention at Guantanamo Bay.  Others reportedly have been designated for further indefinite detention. Some of them have been festering in this detention centre for more than a decade.  This raises serious concerns under international law.  It severely undermines the United States’ stance that it is an upholder of human rights, and weakens its position when addressing human rights violations elsewhere.”

Commenting on the current hunger strike by Guantanamo detainees, Ms. Pillay said that “a hunger strike is a desperate act, and one which brings a clear risk of people doing serious lasting harm to themselves.  I always urge people to think of alternative, less dangerous, ways to protest about their situation.  But given the uncertainty and anxieties surrounding their prolonged and apparently indefinite detention in Guantanamo, it is scarcely surprising that people’s frustrations boil over and they resort to such desperate measures.”

Ms. Pillay noted that four years ago she warmly welcomed President Obama’s announcement immediately after his inauguration that he was placing a high priority on closing Guantanamo and setting in motion a system to safeguard the fundamental rights of the detainees.  She welcomed a White House spokesman’s reiteration of this commitment last week (27 March), citing Congressional legislation as the prime obstacle.

“Nevertheless, this systemic abuse of individuals’ human rights continues year after year,” she said.  “We must be clear about this: the United States is in clear breach not just of its own commitments but also of international laws and standards that it is obliged to uphold. When other countries breach these standards, the United States – quite rightly – strongly criticizes them for it.”

“As a first step,” Ms. Pillay said, “those who have been cleared for release must be released. This is the most flagrant breach of individual rights, contravening the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.*  Last September's death of Adnan Latif -- the ninth person to die in detention at Guantanamo -- was a sobering reminder of the problems with the Guantanamo detention regime under which individuals are detained indefinitely, in most cases without charge or trial.  It is time to bring an end to this situation.”

Ms. Pillay said she was deeply concerned over the continued obstacles the National Defence Authorization Act of 2013 has created for the closure of the detention facility, as well as for the trial of detainees in civilian courts, where warranted, or for their release.  The Act was signed into law by President Obama on 3 January despite previous threats to veto its renewal.  The High Commissioner has repeatedly maintained that those Guantanamo detainees who are accused of crimes should be tried in civilian courts, particularly as the military commissions – even after improvements made in 2009 – do not meet international fair trial standards. 

“Anyone who is deprived of his or her liberty by arrest or detention is entitled, under international human rights law, to regular review of the lawfulness of their detention and to be released if the detention is not lawful,” she said.  “Any ensuing judicial proceedings must scrupulously respect due process and fair trial standards.”

So long as Guantanamo remains open, she added, the authorities must make every effort to ensure that detainees’ rights are observed.  “No one is suggesting that the United States should be ‘soft’ on people who have planned or carried out crimes or atrocities. Indeed, international law requires that there must not be impunity for such crimes.  Nevertheless, human rights are universal and apply to all persons, including those suspected of having committed the most serious crimes such as acts of terrorism,” she said.  “Under human rights law, people deprived of their liberty must be treated with humanity and with respect for their inherent dignity.”

The High Commissioner also called on the United States Government to extend an invitation which would allow full and unfettered access to the United Nations Human Rights Council experts, including the opportunity to meet privately with detainees.

*See: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CCPR.aspx

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights has been ratified by 167 States, including the United States of America

Talking Dog interviews Carlos Warner

I'm having trouble keeping up with the dog....but here is another great interview.

Talking dog interviews Matthew Melewski....

Wow the dog has been busy! Today interview is from habeas attorney Matthew Melewski. I would just add that each interview adds to both the humanity of certain American's and the inhumanity of this nation....
Read the interview here....

A Hunger Strike has taken over Guantanamo

You can find my latest article about the hunger strike at Guantanamo at Michael Moore's webpage...
click here to go directly to that article...

Talking Dog interviews Buz Eisenberg

 I am so proud as I read the interviews of the people I call my friends....people who I didn't know before the Guantanamo litigation- like Pat Bronte-whose interview was a few days ago and now Buz's interview which can be found here. My thanks to the talking dog for conducting these and the countless other Guantanamo related interviews over the years.

President announces Guantanamo will close on Friday.....

April 1, 2013

In a surprise move that is sending shock waves around the capitol President Obama stepped out onto the balcony of the white house and announced he will close the controversial detention center at Guantanamo Bay,Cuba on Friday, April 6, of 2013-. With his vice president and secretary of defense standing by his side, a cheerful Obama announced that he had been planning this day for “several years now-actually for a little more than six years truth be told. I was just having trouble working out some of the little details.” When questioned by members of the press as to which details were the most difficult, the president acknowledged that it was hard “really hard” to find the right mode of transportation to take all of the men off the island at one time. “you see- these men have been together for a long time and they have become friends- we didn’t want to just pull them off one by one and have the other men wondering where their friends went. I thought it important that each man be present while the others are set free- except of course for those men who we believe were involved in the attacks on the United States in September 2001.” 

Obama acknowledged that he spent literally “years working out the details” of getting all of the men off the island at one time and having them travel with each other as they each made their way to their homes- or in some cases their new homes "when a few months ago while I was watching the news about a distressed cruise ship in the Caribbean- a ship that lost its electricity and its water-it hit me that a cruise ship was the perfect mode of transportation for the men.” The president, lightly laughing, quickly followed up that announcement by saying “of course we don’t want a disabled ship. The men have complained that we provided tainted water to them at Guantanamo and we want to make sure they are on a ship with fresh water- plenty of fresh water. And good food too... like lemon chicken and rice pilaf.” 

The president then turned to secretary of defense Hagel to outline the plans for moving the men on Friday. According to Hagel “we first contacted some of the cruise lines to see if they had a ship that we could use- a working ship. But all of the ships were being readied to head to Alaska for the summer season so we had to come up with another plan. I was sitting in my new office late one night with a few of my interns discussing the Palestinian situation when one of them turned to me and practically yelled “why don’t we use the USS Abraham Lincoln?” I didn’t know what he was referring to and I told him it wouldn’t send the right message to send the Lincoln to the middle east because well that was the ship George W. Bush used to announce mission accomplished.” “My intern looked embarrassed as he acknowledged that he really wasn’t listening to what I was talking about but was instead thinking about Guantanamo- and well honestly I just smiled a big smile- what better ship could we use- not only were we finally accomplishing the very first mission the president established when he took office all those many years ago but it is a ship named after the very president that freed our slaves. Now our slaves ----I mean the brown men detained at Guantanamo- would be sailing home on the ship named after our great president who freed the black men so many years ago. It just felt right and I called the president immediately and told him I had a plan.”

Vice President Biden then stepped up to the mike and gently nudged secretary Hagel away with a weak smile on his face turned to the press and said “Chuck, I’ll take it from here.” Acknowledging that members of the press were probably surprised by today’s announcement, the Vice President said that a full itinerary of the men’s trip would be posted on the white house blog in the travel section later in the day but provided these basic details:

First, the men were told of the great news this morning and we hope to have them eating breakfast again today and helping them gain their weight back, for those that suffered internal damage-including brain damage, from not eating for almost two months we are providing vitamins- very strong vitamins.” “We are also going to start providing big macs and large sodas twice a day in the afternoon and we are bringing in pizza’s and fries for dinner- you know the kind of food that has made American’s so obese…we hope by Friday the men will be getting fat and happy. Of course that makes fitting the men for cruise wear a little difficult. We thought it would be unsightly for the men to be cruising in their orange jumpsuits so we are getting specially made jumpsuits in happy spring like colors- and jumpsuits with expandable waists so as the men eat all of the fast food we can give them they will still be comfortable.

The ship will set sail at sunset on Friday and from Guantanamo the ship will sail to the ports closest to each man’s home town-dropping them off while their friends on board wave their goodbyes. We will give each man a clean shirt and a pair of pants and $25- I know that doesn’t sound like much money but really in the countries they come from you can buy a lot for $25. We expect the trip to take about six months because – well frankly we can’t send all of the men to their home countries because we have called them terrorists and made people frightened of them and it has kind of made it hard for some of them to go to their own home countries ---so we will have to sit around at a few ports and see if we can’t talk some of those countries into accepting a few men. But we are American’s we know how to bargain and I feel confident that we can find a home for each man even if it means trading some arms and weapons in exchange for taking the men.”

“The last stop will be New York City-when we pull into the harbor and pass the statue of liberty we will only have twenty or so men with us- those men will be brought to the federal court and charged with real crimes. Of course, let’s be honest- we don’t know if those charges can stick after more than 11 years of being held without charge and tortured but that is our plan in a nutshell. Go to our website and read the details of this amazing end to Guantanamo and join us as we proudly say mission finally accomplished.”

As the three men stepped back into the doors of the White House President Obama turned to the reporters and lifted up both thumbs and proudly announced “yes we can.”

The perspective of some of the habeas attorneys of events at the base

The mass hunger strike at GTMO has drawn a lot of media attention. At first, the detainees simply demanded that the authorities stop searching their Qurans. As the strike has dragged on, however, many of the men, entering their twelfth year of detention without charge and no end it sight, are also demanding an end to their illegal, AKA "law of war" detention.
The military is currently applying brutal tactics to break the hunger strike, e.g., withholding water, reducing temperatures to freezing levels, and moving the detainees from communal living to isolation cells. A detainee’s motion to end these practices is pending. Judge Thomas F. Hogan has scheduled an evidentiary hearing for April 15.
The detainees are desperate, the camps were a tinderbox, and a new tough-guy commander of detention operations lit the fuse. If this commander is acting on orders from higher ups, consider this narrative an indictment of them. 

Talking Dog Interviews Pat Bronte

The talking dog is back to doing interviews and today's interview is with habeas attorney Pat Bronte. Pat is an attorney for two men at Guantanamo-one of whom is the subject of a current motion in the US District Court in which Pat and her co-counsel are seeking humanitarian relief for their client who is part of the on-going hunger strike.
Read the interview here. and if you are in the DC area and can make your way to the federal courthouse on April 15th to show your support for the men still being held at Guantanamo without trial or legal process that would be great.

Breaking news......

Seems the military has decided that canceling the civilian airline was maybe just a little over the top- even for them. Civilian flights are reinstated through the end of the year.