Special for DUers following Gitmo/torture stories (Andy Worthington)

[EFerrari]

Guantánamo Habeas Week: Exposing Torture, Misconceptions and Government Incompetence



In an attempt to raise awareness of the importance of the rulings being made in US courts on the habeas corpus petitions of the prisoners held at Guantánamo (as authorized by a significant Supreme Court ruling in June 2008), I’m devoting most of my work this week to articles covering the 47 cases decided to date (34 of which have been won by the prisoners), as a series entitled, “Guantánamo Habeas Week.”

Although I have covered the 47 cases in detail over the last 19 months, I had not, until now, followed the example of the Center for Constitutional Rights, the Washington Independent and the Miami Herald, who have all produced “Habeas Corpus Scorecards.” As a result, this series kicks off with my own list, providing links to my analyses of the rulings, to the judges’ own unclassified opinions, and, where relevant, to my articles covering the prisoners’ release from Guantánamo, and progress reports on a handful of appeals.

Throughout the week, following an article examining the case of Yasin Ismail, a Yemeni who recently lost his habeas petition (whose publication slightly preempted the start of this series), I’ll be publishing two articles analyzing the unclassified opinions in the cases of Mohamedou Ould Salahi (aka Slahi), a Mauritanian who recently won his habeas petition despite being considered one of the most significant prisoners in Guantánamo, and Mukhtar al-Warafi, a Yemeni who lost his habeas petition (I wrote about the initial rulings here). I also intend to analyze the judge’s opinions in the cases of four more Yemenis: Saeed Hatim, who won his habeas petition in December last year, Uthman Abdul Rahim Mohammed Uthman, who won his habeas petition in February, and Suleiman al-Nahdi and Fahmi al-Assani, who lost their habeas petitions in February (all initially discussed here). If time allows, I will also examine a few other opinions that were not available when I wrote articles based on the judges’ verdicts.

I remain impressed that the judges involved have ruled in the prisoners’ favor in 34 of the 47 cases (that’s 72 percent of the total), especially as they have exposed, in the most objective manner available, the lack of oversight in the Justice Department (first under Bush and now under Obama) regarding pursuing cases that should have been dropped, as well as persistent obstruction by the Justice Department when it comes to providing material necessary for the prisoners’ defense.

http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2010/04/19/guantanamo-habeas-week-exposing-torture-misconceptions-and-government-incompetence/

Please go to Andy's site for hotlinks.

Links to 2 interviews Andy gave to DU:

1/2010
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7440049

3/2009
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5194840

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. Good collection. Thanks!!!

K&R

[Mnemosyne]

2. Thank you, Beth! KnR! This has to be kept out there, it matters more than

many seem to realize.

:hi::hug:

[EFerrari]

3. Pass it on if you can. Andy has been tireless and I really want to help out

in any way possible. :hi: :hug:

[Mnemosyne]

9. I certainly will pass it on. It still astonishes me that not really even one * regime criminal

has been arrested. But I see they keep nailing those terrible whistle-blowers...

How's life treating you lately? Hopefully with much peace and love! :hug:

And a :kick:

[inna]

4. K&R

[Solly Mack]

5. k/r

[EFerrari]

6. .

[annabanana]

7. Excellent stuff. It is hard to overstate how important the resolution

of these glaring examples of unconstitutionality are resolved (or not)..

[amborin]

8. K&R

[EFerrari]

10. Kick for stragglers and Andy's good work.

:kick:

[Soylent Brice]

11. thank you for posting this.

K&R