Gitmo Hearings Underway

By Jeralyn, Section Terror Trials
Posted on Thu Mar 13, 2008 at 03:57:00 PM EST
Tags: Guantanamo, Detainees, Omar Khadr (all tags)

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The Canadian press is doing a good job of covering the pre-trial hearings underway this week at Guantanamo. As I wrote Sunday, one pertains to Canadian Omar Khadr, now 21, who was captured at age 15 and has been held ever since. The defense is targeting Omar's interrogations and scored a partial victory today in getting the judge to order that correspondence between the U.S. and Canada about Omar be turned over.

The other hearing is that of Afghan Mohammed Jawad. Jawad was 16 when he was captured. His hearing yesterday did not go smoothly.

The military's 90 page document outlining charges against all charged detainees is here(pdf).

The ACLU is monitoring the hearings. In related news, (no link yet, received by e-mail) the ACLU is filing a lawsuit today "to force the government to release un-redacted transcripts in which 14 prisoners now held at Guantánamo Bay describe abuse and torture they suffered in CIA custody."

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Gitmo Hearings Underway | 2 comments (2 topical)

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Will the defense have access to any (none / 0) (#1)
by Joike on Thu Mar 13, 2008 at 01:35:08 PM EST

videotaped interrogations?

A Farse (none / 0) (#2)
by squeaky on Thu Mar 13, 2008 at 01:46:06 PM EST

Only a few minutes after it finally began, the hearing hit another bump, this time because of translation issues. Two Pashto translators were brought in for Mr. Jawad, but it quickly became apparent that Mr. Jawad could not hear the translator on the headphones. After the judge eventually tried out the headphones, it was discovered that they had not been switched on.
[snip]
When asked if he had anyone in mind to represent him in court, Mr. Jawad replied: "I should be given freedom to find a lawyer."
"That's not going to happen," Judge Kohlmann said, moments before his patience with the accused finally ran out and he moved on without an answer from Mr. Jawad.<
[snip]
Eventually, the 23-year-old slammed his headphones on the table and laid his head on his forearms, losing interest in the proceedings.