Pentagon Replaces Omar Khadr Judge Who Chastised Prosecution

By Jeralyn, Section Terror Detainees
Posted on Fri May 30, 2008 at 08:48:15 AM EST
Tags: Omar Khadr, Guantanamo, detainees (all tags)

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Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr has a new Judge. The Pentagon replaced his old one, Col. Peter Brownback, apparently displeased at some of his rulings favorable to Khadr.

At a May 7 hearing, Col. Brownback threatened to suspend the entire case over the prosecution's failure to hand over Mr. Khadr's Guantanamo confinement records.

Navy Lieutenant-Commander Bill Kuebler, Mr. Khadr's chief military lawyer, sought the so-called Detainee Information Management System records, or DIMS, to develop a detailed picture of Mr. Khadr's treatment during detention.

Khadr's lawyer says the records would support Omar's claim he was subjected to torture or abuse while being interrogated. [More...]

Lt.-Cmdr. Kuebler believes the bulk of the prosecution's case against Mr. Khadr, accused of murder in a 2002 grenade attack that killed a U.S. serviceman, will rest on statements the Toronto-born youth made once captured, and that proving interrogator abuse could negate the evidence.

The documents were to have been turned over by May 22 or Brownback had ruled the case would be halted.

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Pentagon Replaces Omar Khadr Judge Who Chastised Prosecution | 18 comments (18 topical)

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Aw, the myth (5.00 / 1) (#1)
by BarnBabe on Fri May 30, 2008 at 09:08:43 AM EST

Welcome to Democracy in America. This makes me wonder if the national unity in some controlled countries is because they do not know any better and feel useless to protest if they do. I like to think that the American people have not become complacent to things that smell rotten in Denmark.

I am not sticking up for Omar but I am sticking up for the law and the rights of Omar. His rights are my rights.

The USA has taken to fooling around in other people's country under the guise of giving them freedom and democracy. Then they want to take out any new leader who was not pre-approved by our government. The same is for this judge. He was following the law and the Pentagon did not like it. Or, in a more simpler term, they did not like having the torture being put on record for the world to see.

: Military justice is to justice what... (none / 0) (#15)
by rhbrandon on Fri May 30, 2008 at 12:16:59 PM EST

military music is to music.
- Georges Clemenceau

This story is given prominent play (5.00 / 2) (#13)
by HenryFTP on Fri May 30, 2008 at 10:27:20 AM EST

in the right-wing Canadian press, but not our own "liberal media"?

The link is to the National Post, a solidly pro-Tory newspaper, and is apparently given similar treatment by The Globe and Mail, with only the addition of a suggestion that Col. Brownback wanted to retire.

Of course, Khadr is Canadian, so the press up north is paying attention. Even though Khadr was just 15 years old when he was alleged to have thrown the grenade, and even though the military have allegedly tampered with the evidence as well as allegedly torturing Khadr, this apparently isn't "newsworthy".

I trust everyone here fully recognizes that all of this is being done in our name. Not content, apparently, with "dragging the good name of the United States through the mud of Saddam Hussein's torture prison," Bush and Cheney seem determined to double down on our moral jeopardy by running Stalinist showtrials, so that once more we can better resemble that which we purported to oppose and despise.

Why oh why can we Democrats not communicate the simple truth that these aren't acts showing our "firmness and resolve", but rather cowardice and weakness.

This is pathetic (none / 0) (#14)
by CST on Fri May 30, 2008 at 10:37:58 AM EST

I am a news junkie and I only hear about this stuff on TL, the daily show, the bbc, npr, or from my friends. It's pretty sad that the major news organizations in the U.S. don't seem to care at all that the constitution has been torn to shreads the last few years. I just hope that with the changing of the guard coming this november we will be able to regain some of our rights and moral standing in the international community.


: No good "local" source of news. (none / 0) (#20)
by McKinless on Fri May 30, 2008 at 01:38:13 PM EST

Indeed. There is no trustworthy American MSM--save and except McClatchy. And my local paper tho owned by McClatchy doesn't print much of their stuff! Thank God for blogs and the BBC. I do not watch anymore ABC or MS/NBC or CNN. Only occasionally CBS.

I guess if the new judge knows what's (none / 0) (#2)
by tigercourse on Fri May 30, 2008 at 09:21:27 AM EST

good for his career, he'll throw the book at Khadr.

: Sounds like the Government can effectively recuse (none / 0) (#16)
by rhbrandon on Fri May 30, 2008 at 12:29:17 PM EST

any judge it doesn't like. Do defendants get this same privilege in federal court?
In Missouri, there is procedure for change of judge as a matter of right for both parties.

I guess (none / 0) (#3)
by Nadai on Fri May 30, 2008 at 09:23:32 AM EST

that's one way for the government to get the verdict it wants. How utterly disgusting.

And what will a deocratic president do about (none / 0) (#4)
by pie on Fri May 30, 2008 at 09:30:03 AM EST

Guantanamo and the current "leadership" at the Pentagon? It seems to me that the repubs will want to hang on to the reins and will pull out all the stops.

November's looking scary.

: Deocratic. Heh. (none / 0) (#5)
by pie on Fri May 30, 2008 at 09:30:49 AM EST

Democratic, of course.

: i don't hold too much hope that (none / 0) (#10)
by hellothere on Fri May 30, 2008 at 10:23:14 AM EST

the democrats will do anything for us. they are too busy taking care of themselves. any idealism i had has been destroyed this campaign season sorry to say.

is there any chance... (none / 0) (#6)
by nic danger on Fri May 30, 2008 at 09:35:16 AM EST

that the defense will be able to delay the proceedings till after the elections?

Its ok... (none / 0) (#7)
by Arjun on Fri May 30, 2008 at 09:38:29 AM EST

Khadr must be used to it. This is just barely worse than the legal system in his home country.

Plus, he should have thought about this before he decided to not be born in America. He should have known that only citizens have rights in this country.

: His home country is Canada. (5.00 / 1) (#19)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Fri May 30, 2008 at 01:17:32 PM EST

He is a Canadian citizen and lifelong member of AQ and was fighting essentially as a AQ mercenary against the legal gvt of Afghanistan when he threw a grenade that killed a US soldier.
The soldiers that weren't killed by the grenade opened fire and severely wounded him.
The US medic he didn't kill then ran to his side and saved his life.
No, that doesn't excuse any alleged torture of him.

: Uh..... (none / 0) (#9)
by Punchy on Fri May 30, 2008 at 10:04:44 AM EST

...paging Jose Padilla for comment....

: this is snark? i thought so. thanks (none / 0) (#11)
by hellothere on Fri May 30, 2008 at 10:23:58 AM EST

How many kangaroos does it take to make a (none / 0) (#8)
by jawbone on Fri May 30, 2008 at 09:55:51 AM EST

kangaroo court?

: six isn't it? but the court needs to (none / 0) (#12)
by hellothere on Fri May 30, 2008 at 10:24:46 AM EST

be enlarged to give them neck room. snark