I have been a bit busy these past two weeks.... but unfortunately so has my lunatic president. After firing the secretary or state (for speaking out against Trumps bosom buddy Putin regarding the poisoning, with a toxic weapon of mass destruction, a former spy and his daughter) Trump then moved the equally crazy head of the CIA to head the state department and moved one of the more high profile torturers to head the CIA. What could go wrong with this picture? Read more here.
And what should also not be a surprise -- another long time DOJ attorney who has worked under both democratic and republican administrations over 40 years has resigned (out of disgust but he won't say that). Read more about him here.
Oh, and lest I forget, the military is apparently working on arrest warrants for two civilian attorneys who quit because their attorney client confidences have been compromised by military spying. Read more here.
(h/o to friend Ken)
Just another day in my country under the Trump administration...
Andy Worthington has more on the efforts of Guantanamo lawyers (including myself) to get the ICC (International Criminal Court) to look into the U.S. torture program...
Read more here.
So it seems that wild fires have errupted in and around Gitmo setting off landmines that were planted around the outside of the base by the cubans many decades ago... at least that is how the story is being told.
So on friday the judge in Nashiri's case finally agreed that the case cannot continue at this point- this is the case where the defense team resigned because of illegal surveillance into their attorney client confidences leaving only one attorney- a military attorney with only six years experience and none in death penalty cases. The judge and the prosecution tried relentlessly to badger and humiliate that attorney into doing it alone but fortunately he stood his ground. Now the judge has put a halt on the case.
It's as close as we can expect to get to justice at this point....
read more here.
GUANTÁNAMO BAY, Cuba — For years, an expert legal team defended one of the most high-profile accused terrorists in a death penalty case at the military tribunals here. But a courtroom dispute involving classified snooping prompted nearly all of the team to abruptly quit this fall, leaving only a 39-year-old former SEAL turned lawyer with just six years’ experience, and none with a capital case. He agrees that he is not qualified to handle this case but the military does not care. Read the Rest here.
THE MORE THINGS STAY THE SAME...
Over the weekend, and less than a week after Trump rescinded Obama's executive order to close Guantanamo, Trump fired the man who oversaw the military commissions. Harvey Rishikof was originally put forward to oversee the military commissions by Obama- and of course Trump couldn't have an Obama person in the job. But perhaps more importantly Rishikof also is responsible for doing a few things that made sense- and Trump does not like making sense either.
READ THE REST HERE.
For example,:
"Rishikof also has recommended that the chief of the prison guard force build a new compound at Guantánamo for attorney-client meetings after Baker and others said the privileged conversations had been compromised." Rishikof was also responsible for suspending the contempt of court sentence of the chief defense counsel, Marine Brig. Gen. John Baker.
READ THE REST HERE.
GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA—Applauding and cheering as news spread that their beloved, longtime home had been saved by executive order, the inmates of Guantánamo Bay celebrated Thursday in a spontaneous outpouring of both joy and relief. “President Trump really came through for us, my brothers—he saved the one place we’ve ever truly been able to call our own!” said 16-year prisoner and former Afghani herdsman Ghassan Abdullah al Sharbi, one of the dozens of men at Guantánamo who have been imprisoned without warrant, interrogated without restraint, and due to recent opposition, faced the possibility of having to leave the war prison where they have spent so many of their formative years as detainees. “I was worried the ACLU or Amnesty International or even the previous administration would close this unique place where I’ve spent nearly half my life and made some great friends, but now I get to stay right here. Thank you, President Trump—it’s people like you that reaffirm everything I believe.” At press time, the residents of Guantánamo Bay were holding an impromptu “block party” during their weekly 15 minutes of outdoor time.
A new exhibit at the International Center for Photography combines photos with the soundtracks used while interrogating detainees at Guantanamo and other places.
First, Pardiss explains why we filed the motions in our habeas cases..."there has been absolutely no movement on Guantanamo at all" ... since Trump became president. Read her interview here.
(h/o to Walt)
Shortly after Pardiss's interview ended up in my in box two quite distressing stories followed:
First- a leaked document from the Trump people- Trump plans to sign an executive order to keep Guantanamo open. more here. More symbolic perhaps than anything else but it confirms that Trump has no intention on working to release the men that remain "detained" without charge.
Then, we learned that the men and women who worked on Guantanamo issues during the Obama administration (at the state department) are being retaliated against and after getting no relief through internal channels have now obtained their own attorneys: "A growing number of State Department employees are charging they are being put in career purgatory because of their previous work on policy priorities associated with President Barack Obama and in offices the Trump administration is interested in closing."
Read the rest here.
Apparently a few of our senators are looking into this retaliation.... I'm sure that will go far (not).
You may recall a few short months ago the defense team representing Nashiri resigned because of the ongoing interference into their attorney client relationship. The resignation led the chief judge to sentence the lead attorney to 21 days in the brig- at which time the lead attorney was forced to file his own habeas case. The only military attorney left representing Mr. Nashiri is not qualified to represent an individual facing the death penalty. This has led the judge and the prosecutors- who clearly know nothing about the qualifications to represent someone facing the death penalty- to belittle and attempt to bully the remaining attorney.. to no avail... the attorney is doing a good job of just ignoring them and staying focused on the injustice to his client.
Probably the most important book of 2014 as it gives a comprehensive look at the extent this country of mine has creeped into the bedrooms of all of us across the world-and the importance of hero EDWARD SNOWDEN- in risking his freedom to let all of us know. What we do with that knowledge will say alot about all of us...
If you have not read Ron's book then you do not have the whole story about what I have been doing to try to get my clients out ofGuantanamo. Ron kept up with my activities and even followed me around on occasion to get the full story... then he weaved my story in with the stories of other individuals who are concerned with the direction of the United States. I recommend the book to all of you out there who also care about the direction that the US has gone these past eight years and want to work to change things.
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