Detainees Not Receiving Lawyers or Hearings
It's been three months since the Supreme Court ruled that the detainees at Guantanamo have a right to a hearing to determine their enemy combatant status. Lawyers for the detainees say the Government is dragging its feet:
Of the 68 alleged al Qaeda and Taliban fighters who have so far petitioned for access to federal court in Washington, only a handful have even spoken to their lawyers. With some held for nearly three years on the U.S. Navy base, the detainees remain largely precluded from receiving legal help because of protracted negotiations with the Justice Department over lawyers' security clearances, the government's insistence on monitoring attorney-client conversations and the number of visits lawyers will be allowed, defense attorneys told a U.S. District Court judge yesterday.
| < From the Podium: Bush's Debate Notes | Iowa Redux? > |