A stupid little lying pervert of a man....

No, I am not talking about Obama--I don't have any evidence that Obama is a pervert- no, I am talking about Col. Bogdan the current commander of the Guantanamo task force. Bogdan is the tough guy wannabe who oversaw the men's Qorans searched back in February---I guess things were just a tad too quiet and the little man was hoping for a bit more excitement in his current assignment. The search resulted in a hunger strike- now at least 130 of the 166 men are on a hunger strike- many of the men have been on that strike since February. The little man and his friends tried as hard as he could to play down the number of hunger strikers but as it sometimes happens- the truth- this time about the size of the hunger strike, found its way out of our gulag.

The search of the Qorans which led to the hunger strike took place right around the same time microphones were discovered in the Camp Echo meeting rooms- these are the rooms we attorneys are forced to use to meet with our clients. It apparently irritated the little man that word got out about the microphones and about the real size of the hunger strike. So, the little man decided to add to his credibility by claiming that he only just learned about the microphones-coincidently- right about the same time the microphones were discovered.... and oh yeah, the little man also claimed that no one was listening to the attorney conversations that were taking place in the rooms with the microphones. 

The little man is apparently also a lying sack of shit.

With word out about the new horrors at the camp the International Red Cross made a visit to see first-hand. The lying little man, apparently enraged that the international red cross delegates came on the scene to see just WTF he was doing to the detainees at the base, oversaw the camp raid hours after the delegates left the base. The lying little man even approved the unarmed hunger strikers being shot at- with rubber bullets. All of our clients were placed in solitary confinement- where they remain to this day. They are allowed two hours outside- but they are back to the caged outdoor time- with only two men outside at a time. I remember those days when my other client, the one who is now a free man, was housed like that under Bush- he deteriorated quickly (mentally and physically) under those conditions.

But the strike continues. The men though weakened physically are strong in their resolve. 

The lying little man apparently next decided that it was the attorneys that are the problem (not his treatment of the men, his violation of the constitution, court orders, various treaties or military laws) and therefore it became the lying little man's new job to find ways to keep the attorneys out of Guantanamo-- so he approved the pulling of the contract for the small commuter plane that we use to get to the base from Fort Lauderdale.  Fortunately the lying little man is stupid too- it is not just the attorneys who use those planes. The stupid lying little man was forced to reinstate the contract.

Stuck with us attorneys still being allowed onto the base it was next announced that the attorneys could no longer use the military flights into and out of the base. (Some attorneys would fly one way on the military flights and one way on the commuter plane-so as not to spend an entire week at the base.) With this new rule we can only fly on the commuter plane-which runs on Mondays and Fridays. What this of course means is that for many of us who only have one client at the base we have to spend an entire week at the base for a one day visit (showing again how stupid the lying little man is---why would he want all of us attorneys hanging out at the base for an entire week at a time?)  Fortunately we are a tough bunch and those of us that can take the week off have been down at the base regularly.

This of course has apparently pissed off the stupid lying little man even more. So the stupid lying little man gave some thought about what else he might do to keep the attorneys away- and word has it that the new- really perverted idea- came from him:

"About two weeks ago, the military made a shocking threat: A detainee who wants to leave his camp for any reason is subject to a body search that includes searches of his genitals."

So the stupid lying little man is a pervert too. Big surprise, huh? And as perverts are want to do the stupid little lying pervert of a man found what he hopes is the perfect threat to the Muslim men at Guantanamo- having their testicles subject to a physical exam if they want to visit with their attorneys---because, oh yeah, I forgot to add the fact that attorney visits are no longer allowed to take place at the camps where the men are housed- we can now only meet at Camp Echo---the place with the microphones. 

And so I wonder- will this outrage be enough to get even one of those judges in DC to stop acting as a doormat for the Department of Defense and Department of "justice?" 

Stay tuned---but don't hold your breath.

For Razak's mother and the mothers of all the men at Guantanamo

From Roger Fitch and our Friends Down Under at Justinian

US soldiers are special: they can shoot, but they can't be shot

ROGER FITCH ESQ • WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2013

US government has its very own radical Islam website ... Judge overrules some of the FBI's denial of rights to Boston bombing suspect ... Canadian to appeal Guantánamo conviction ... Guilty plea to invalid charges ... Pentagon citing Civil War precedents in Bradley Manning stitch-up ... 
....

Relying on the Al Bahlul precedent, Canadian Omar Khadr plans to appeal his Guantánamo convictions in the US, testing whether a guilty plea can prevent a subsequent legal challenge where the underlying charges are found invalid. 

Since his release from Gitmo pursuant to a plea deal, Khadr has been confined in a maximum security Canadian prison. In addition to his meritless MST and conspiracy convictions, he has the distinction of being perhaps the first "combatant" ever convicted of a "war crime" of "murder" for killing a uniformed soldier in lawful combat.  

To be fair, the dead soldier was an American; and that, of course, changes everything. US soldiers are special:  they can shoot, but they can't be shot.

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE HERE.

Talking Dog Interviews Jan Kitchel

Today's interview is with Gitmo attorney Jan Kitchel. The one question I have for him ---and I will get the answer--is just how long the district court judge has been sitting on his client's habeas case--- it sounds to me from reading this interview that he had the hearing quite a while ago....

Sen. Levin asks Obama to appoint someone to oversee process for transfer of detainees...

WASHINGTON – Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., this week urged the White House to appoint an official to spearhead an interagency effort to oversee the process of relocating detainees at Guantanamo Bay who have been cleared for transfer. Levin fought for a national security waiver that provides for the transfer of detainees in appropriate cases. More than 80 detainees who have been cleared for transfer are still awaiting departure from Guantanamo. Expediting this process is critical to advancing the goal of closing GITMO, as the president has called for.

The text of Levin’s letter to the White House follows:

May 6, 2013

Ms. Kathryn Ruemmler

Assistant to the President and

  Counsel to the President

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC  20500

Dear Ms. Ruemmler: 

                At a press conference last week, President Obama reaffirmed his commitment to close the detention facility at Guantanamo (GITMO) because, as he pointed out, it is expensive, inefficient, damaging to the United States’ international standing, reduces the cooperation of our allies in countering terrorism, and serves as a recruiting tool for extremists.  The President said he had asked his staff to review all options for addressing the GITMO issue and expressed the desire to re-engage with Congress on this.

                I recognize that Congress has made the process of relocating GITMO detainees to third countries more difficult by imposing certification requirements on such transfers.  However, more than a year ago, I successfully fought for a national security waiver that provides a clear route for the transfer of detainees to third countries in appropriate cases, i.e., to make sure the certification requirements do not constitute an effective prohibition. 

I urge the President to appoint an official inside the White House to spearhead an interagency effort to determine which of the more than eighty detainees who have already been cleared for transfer by the Guantanamo Detainee Review Task Force meet the certification (and waiver) requirements, and to actively work for their transfer.  High level leadership on detainee transfers is critical to advancing the goal of closing GITMO.  

                Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Sincerely,

Carl Levin

Chairman

Abu Zubaydah v Poland

Another extraordinary rendition case has been launched in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) that will be relevant to those following Guantanamo detainees:  Abu Zubaydah v Poland involves the CIA’s black sites. The filings are available here.  A press release by Interrights, co-counsel (with Joseph Margulies and the Polish firm Jankowski & Co.) describes the significance of the case as follows:

The case is of interest because the complaint alleges that, through both its acts as well as omissions – including by agreeing to house the secret detention centre, turning a blind eye to normal protections and oversight, and otherwise participating in and facilitating the extraordinary rendition of Abu Zubaydah into and out of Poland – the Polish authorities are responsible for multiple violations of Abu Zubaydah’s rights.  

This case is also important because it is the most significant (and potentially only) European investigation into black sites underway.   The decision may help to shape the investigation, particularly because it focuses on the benchmarks for effective review. It follows El-Masri (decided by the ECHR in December 2012).  Related cases, Abu Zubaydah v Lithuania, al Nashiri v Poland, and al Nashiri v Romania, are still pending before the ECHR.    

Abu Zubaydah is a stateless Palestinian born in Saudi Arabia who was transferred to Guantanamo Bay in 2006 and remains in indefinite detention.   He has not been charged with a crime by a military commission or court.

Donate for full page ad at New York Times

WORLD CAN'T WAIT is helping to organize a campaign to raise funds to run a full time ad on the 99th day of the Guantanamo detainees hunger strike. Please donate what you can.

Text content of the ad is here, posted as a sign-on message.  World can't wait expects to have a beautiful, arresting ad design for the print-one that will make people think about Guantanamo and the men who continue to suffer there.  You can donate online here,   Online or check donations to Alliance for Global Justice, the fiscal sponsor of World Can't Wait, makes your donation tax-deductible.

THE WORLD REALLY CAN'T WAIT.

SOMEONE SHOULD LET HIM KNOW HE IS PRESIDENT.....UPDATED

(updated to add link to Judge Lamberth's opinion from yesterday...)

So what happened to the buck stops here Barrack?....

Does he really think this is the fault of congress?

At least the pressure is stepping up....even Ralph Nader found time to write a letter to Obama!

And the Yemen human rights minister is in DC to talk....

I mean- even the Chicago Tribune has an editorial today asking Obama to close the place...(although in typical fashion they managed to get most of the facts wrong....)

When I saw this headline I thought a solution was at hand....but then I read the article and realized no one was suggesting sending the DC judges to Gitmo in a trade....


Of course the American people still don't get it....if only someone could do a reality tv show about Gitmo maybe people would understand why this place is unacceptable...

Meanwhile- if I want to go check in on my client I have to take an entire week off because of the plane schedules...Judge Lamberth entered an Order YESTERDAY- expressing his concern about attorney access....sigh. Concern of course does not equate with change but at least he is checking into the mail situation as many of us have had the letters we write to our clients withheld for unknown reasons....just another awful day in the life.

the whimp...I mean the president, speaks

I was going to try to do a summary of that part of the press conference when Obama talked about Guantanamo but I was too pissed off to spend the time.
Thanks you Marcy for pulling it together here.

And if that isn't enough read this.

another petition.....

SORRY ABOUT THE FORMATTING ISSUES....sigh.

Dear H.Candace ,  Thanks for signing my petition, "President Obama:  Close Detention Facility at Guantanamo Bay ."  Can you help this petition win by asking your friends  to sign too? It's easy to share with  your friends on Facebook - just click here to share the petition  on Facebook. There's also a sample email below that you can forward  to your friends.  Thanks again -- together we're making change happen,  Morris Davis  --------- Note to forward to your friends: Hi! I just signed the petition "President Obama: Close Detention  Facility at Guantanamo Bay " on Change.org. It's important. Will you sign it too? Here's the link: http://www.change.org/petitions/president-obama-close- detention-facility-at-guantanamo-bay?share_id=aUzRMOtRYz &utm_campaign=signature_ receipt&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition Thanks! H.Candace

Red Cross is Back....

The International Red Cross arrived back at the base on Saturday. I think it is time for the ICRC to publicly disclose exactly what is going on with the men....read about the ad hoc visit here....

A detainee speaks and "Life Under Lockdown"

Carol Rosenberg has a good article about life for the detainees under Obama- life right now at the base sounds a lot like the harsh life the detainees suffered through under Bush- before attorneys were allowed onto the base- for example, the men are now in solitary confinement  24 hours a day- they can have nothing in their cells with them except a small isomat, a sheet and a pillow-their showers are scheduled for them as is their force feeding- they are shuffled around in shackles. 

One detainee spoke to his attorney last week and told his attorney first hand what life is like right now.... "The cells were emptied of everything." They now only have a isomat, a sheet and a pillow. "No other items are permitted in the cell. No books, no soap, no toothbrushes. Nothing." They are in a 24 hour lock down and isolation but according to the detainee "This will not break the strike, this will push the resolve deeper in the men."

  In short their lives suck....but the men decided that it sucked even more to continue to sit and wait for something to happen. Nothing is going to happen with this president unless he is embarrassed into doing something. If the only thing that will embarrass the president enough to do something is more death-so be it.

The same detainee described the attack by the military on April 13th (hours after the ICRC left the island) " The Military stormed the camp without notice or warning. Many were hit with rubber bullets at close range. ...Only hunger strikers were hit. Everyone's hands were tied behind their back and the men were left on the floor for 6 hours in this position, face down. The men were not permitted to use the bathroom during this time. The men's clothes were soaked with pepper spray and this caused further illness. The treatment was "vicious." This was a one sided war, as the hunger strike is intended to be a peaceful protest."

That detainee who spoke out is also-like most of the men- on a hunger strike and is being force-fed. He described his force-feeding this way-"I am exhausted and completely skinny. ..The military is using a size 10 tube instead of size 8. I Requested an 8, but the military will not comply. The 10 is too big and induces vomiting. The 10 makes it hard to breathe. My entire body is tied down and the large tube is inserted."

"This is a peaceful protest.  There was a one sided war on April 13. The demand is the same. Surrender the Korans. There has been no communication with the men, only force. The men are asking that an official come and speak to them as humans. We wish to speak directly. We want the conditions to be the same as before the strike, but the military must speak with them to negotiate, not just exert force and use violence over starving and weak men. Allowing a rule that the men may surrendur the Koran will cause a majority of the men to begin eating again. The men are resolved to continue their peaceful protest and to negotiate with the military. The military is using their suffering to close Guantanamo. This is a peaceful protest."

I guess it must makes the military feel tough and strong to treat the detainees in this fashion. I only wish it would make the American people ashamed about what is being done in their name....but I guess they are too busy watching tv.

Meanwhile.....

The bipartisan "torture report" concluded that yes it is true the good ole U S of A did in fact use torture- and it didn't make us any safer.
You can download a full copy or an abridged version here.
what a surprise....

Update---

Sorry for the long delay here is what we know about the hunger strike as of today:

* the military is now admitting what we (the attorneys) have been saying for more than six weeks- that most of the men being held at the base are on a hunger strike. We know the number is around 130- the military admits more than 100.;
*the military now admits that 20 men are being force fed;
*the military now admits it is not equipped to handle this many hunger strikers and that they had to ship in almost 100 medics;
* despair by the inmates is heightened by the failure to release even one detainee in several years and the periodic review boards (PRB's) that Obama promised more than one year ago -for the men who are not "cleared for release" have not occurred because the CIA refuses to allow the torture the men were subjected to be used in those hearings to explain things like admissions (admissions under torture);
*Sen. Feinstein called for a review of the moratorium of the Yemeni men (which she suggested... by the way...)
*at the same time that our clients are preparing to die rather than be warehoused indefinitely, getting to Guantanamo has become more difficult for the attorneys representing them- the one airline that flies to Guantanamo only flies on monday and friday which means an attorney like me would have to take off an entire week to visit my one client for a day. Military flights had been an option but the military just declared that the attorneys can no longer use those flights.

Talking Dog Interviews Eric Lewis

Eric predated me in the Gitmo litigation and so I never had the opportunity to meet him- but it is yet another fascinating interview....
read it here...