Saturday, March 04, 2006
More Information about Gitmo Prisoners
I am beginning to wonder if the US lawyers handling the prisons at Gitmo, Cuba are not right after all.
Last year, the United States was ordered "to ask each detainee whether he or she wanted personal identifying information to be turned over to the AP as part of the lawsuit. Of 317 detainees who received the form, 63 said yes, 17 said no, 35 returned the form without answering and 202 declined to return the form." On March 03, 2006, a Federal Judge ordered the US govt. to deliver nearly 6000 pages of unedited documents from the military tribunals to the Associated Press and Human Rights Watch under the Freedom of Information Act. He held that "none of the detainees, not even the 17 who said they did not want their identities exposed, had a reasonable expectation of privacy during the tribunals."
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,186790,00.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4771774.stm
I have not reviewed the documents in their raw form, but the international press hastened to present those related to a British national who was at Gitmo after having been captured in Afghanistan. He was returned to Britain on January 25, 2005 and released in the United Kingdom, without charges, on January 26, 2005.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feroz_Abbasi
The Tribunal documents offer a frightening glimpse into the schitzophrenic mind of the urban, western educated, moslem extremists that fill the ranks of the world's most dangerous terrorist groups.
Feroz Abbasi of Britain, told the Tribunal "[d]o not be fooled into thinking I am in any way perturbed by you classifying me as a (nonsensical) 'enemy combatant'. In fact quite to the contrary I am humbled that Allah would honour me so." Of his reasons for going to Afghanistan in the first place, he testified that "I actually left Britain to either join the Taleban or fight for the sake of Allah in Kashmir." Further, of his motivation for hating America and being willing to fight against her in a distant land, he ranted that "[p]ure hate wells up in my veins to think the US could get away with such a thing [the use of nuclear weapons in Japan in WWII]. My eyes light up aflame and I yearn for justice, sweet justice against the tyrant that hurts INNOCENT CIVILIANS." There is much more.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4774566.stm
In agreeing to "monitor" Mr. Abbasi's behavior after he was released without charges, Britain accepted a huge and, probably, unaccomplishable, burden. If we closed Gitmo, do we believe that any of the lesser-equiped countries such as Yemen, Sudan, and Pakistan could guarantee the impotence of former detainees?
I have to assume that, however angry and determined they were at time of capture, they are more set to cause harm to the US now. HOW can we release them?
Another question, is there no international law that would apply to Mr. Abbasi's admissions?
Last year, the United States was ordered "to ask each detainee whether he or she wanted personal identifying information to be turned over to the AP as part of the lawsuit. Of 317 detainees who received the form, 63 said yes, 17 said no, 35 returned the form without answering and 202 declined to return the form." On March 03, 2006, a Federal Judge ordered the US govt. to deliver nearly 6000 pages of unedited documents from the military tribunals to the Associated Press and Human Rights Watch under the Freedom of Information Act. He held that "none of the detainees, not even the 17 who said they did not want their identities exposed, had a reasonable expectation of privacy during the tribunals."
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,186790,00.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4771774.stm
I have not reviewed the documents in their raw form, but the international press hastened to present those related to a British national who was at Gitmo after having been captured in Afghanistan. He was returned to Britain on January 25, 2005 and released in the United Kingdom, without charges, on January 26, 2005.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feroz_Abbasi
The Tribunal documents offer a frightening glimpse into the schitzophrenic mind of the urban, western educated, moslem extremists that fill the ranks of the world's most dangerous terrorist groups.
Feroz Abbasi of Britain, told the Tribunal "[d]o not be fooled into thinking I am in any way perturbed by you classifying me as a (nonsensical) 'enemy combatant'. In fact quite to the contrary I am humbled that Allah would honour me so." Of his reasons for going to Afghanistan in the first place, he testified that "I actually left Britain to either join the Taleban or fight for the sake of Allah in Kashmir." Further, of his motivation for hating America and being willing to fight against her in a distant land, he ranted that "[p]ure hate wells up in my veins to think the US could get away with such a thing [the use of nuclear weapons in Japan in WWII]. My eyes light up aflame and I yearn for justice, sweet justice against the tyrant that hurts INNOCENT CIVILIANS." There is much more.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4774566.stm
In agreeing to "monitor" Mr. Abbasi's behavior after he was released without charges, Britain accepted a huge and, probably, unaccomplishable, burden. If we closed Gitmo, do we believe that any of the lesser-equiped countries such as Yemen, Sudan, and Pakistan could guarantee the impotence of former detainees?
I have to assume that, however angry and determined they were at time of capture, they are more set to cause harm to the US now. HOW can we release them?
Another question, is there no international law that would apply to Mr. Abbasi's admissions?
# posted by Gorgius Vegetius : 3:50 PM
