Guantanamo military lawyer breaks ranks to condemn 'unconscionable' detention »
Posted by: berkeley 10 months ago149 Comments Report this Story
The whistleblower, an army major inside the military court system which the United States has established at Guantanamo Bay, has described the detention of one prisoner, a hospital administrator from Sudan, as "unconscionable".
Read Full Story at news.independent.co.uk
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Comments So Far: 149
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tehranchik10 months ago
It's about time these stories were blown wide open. Let's see if this one reaches mainstream media in December.
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DanmLiberals10 months ago
My problem is that you guys jump to such extreme conclusions so quickly.
Have we ever fought a war like this before where the enemy blends in with the civilians and there is no army fighting us? Have we had to deal with people that want to bring small dirty bombs to the states and blow up as many of us as possible? Have we ever had people hijack planes and crash them into our buildings before?
This is a new war and we are working towards a way to prosecute as well as stop these guys from getting loose again.
I think if you want to focus on people who are innocent but proven guilty in court then why dont you start with our justice system first. There are probably hundreds of people in OUR prison system that are innocent but facing prosecution.
The system is never perfect so but I guess that's what you guys expect.
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wtagg10 months ago
" This is a new war and we are working towards a way to prosecute as well as stop these guys from getting loose again."
What evidence is there that we are working towards a way to prosectute? It has been 6 years. I agree that the guilty should be tried and if found guilty, in prison. The innocent should not be held indiscriminately for obvious moral and legal reasons, but also because it is an unnecessary fisical expenditure. Conservatives should be screaming about things, but unfortunately, there isn't anything conservative about our current administration.
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cushi10 months ago
What a bunch of hogwash! Stop turning a blind eye to the criminal activities of the Bush administration and making apologies for it gross violations of human rights! In order to correct a problem, you first have to acknowledge its existence! If you're not part of the solution, guess what? You're part of the problem! For God's sake, WAKE UP!!!
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Charlson10 months ago
DamnLiberals-The same specious arguments for unlawful detainment and torture I've heard over and over by republican presidential candidates and the Bush administration. When will you and people like you learn that if you jump in the mud with the pigs you'll get filthy? The more we use tactics as abhorrent as our enemies, the more we become like our enemy and we then become our own enemy.
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insideoutgraphics10 months ago
DammLiberals, You asked, Have we ever had people hijack planes and crash them into our buildings before?
I can't answer that but do the words " Operation Northwoods" mean anything to you? Look up "MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
Subject: Justification for U.S. Military Intervention
in Cuba (TS) 13 March 1962
The document is now de-classified and can be viewed on line I believe via the Nat. Archives.
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blowback10 months ago
> Have we ever fought a war like this before where the enemy blends in with the civilians and there is no army fighting us?
.
Terrorism is as old as war itself.
It has often been used with great
effect in destabalizing an occupying
force or an imperial, colonial oppressor.
For many countries the US is regarded
as such.
20th century historical examples where
terrorism has been frequently used include,
among others, Kenya, Algeria, Malaysia, and
even Israel.
The latter achieved statehood using terrorism
against the British.
To feign ignorance and claim that it is 'new'
is ridiculous. To use this ignorance as
justification for breaching the human rights
ideology we have claimed to champion for the
world is hypocrisy. And a hypocrisy we gave
into all too easily.
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BravoSierra10 months ago
lol...yes, we've fought this kind of war for over 100 years. The Marines did it regularly in the Bananna Wars, we did it in China during the Boxer Rebellion, we did in against Pancho Villa...we did it in Vietnam...god, you people know so little of military history and you buy all the crap the Bush administration feeds you. We did it in Panama when I was training at Ft. Sherman Canal Zone...
As for all the things you are afraid of...just because you are naieve and haven't been aware of them, those of us who were in the military 30 years ago and before faced all of these scenarios. Yes, even the aircraft suicide mission was predicted and thought of over 30 years ago...I was there and was briefed on it...no matter what the Bush adminstration said about being "surprised" by this tactic...we knew about it 30 years ago at least. It really wasn't that much of a leap from the German and Japanese tactic used in WWII...idiot.
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lovermanComment removed: User banned.
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johnbbbs10 months ago
Bush has SHAMED America. Bush has destroyed a 230 year old reputation of Humane and LAWFUL treatment of others in spite of their crimes.
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crghss10 months ago
Do you nutscape's even think about the statements you post out here. Remember slavery? Remember the interned Japanese civilian's during WW2. Should I go on?
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djn3nunez310 months ago
Lacking historical knowledge shames the American educational system. Human rights abuses have been the norm for most of history, inclucing our own. GW disregarded his fathers efforts to use the UN to confront aggression as he did to liberate Kuwait. What shames our countgry is the morphing of the war against those who struck us on 9-11 into an aggressive invasion and occupation of Iraq.
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insideoutgraphics10 months ago
crghss, I think many do believe ( unrealistically so ) that the US has been so squeaky clean or have been up until the Bush Adm. And they conviently do not factor in our own history of Human Rights Abuses.Either by direct actions and or our inactions. Perhaps because they see nothing wrong with it or simply think it was justified. Scary either way. Because as great as some may think we are ,one only needs to look back in our history to realize that we are not as squeaky clean as they would like to think we are. Historically and Currently.
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donald5110 months ago
Let us not forget the first US Army Moslem cleric at Gitmo, just doing his job, but incarcerated for 76 days of solitary confinement when he came back to the US on leave to see his wife and child. All ending in his divorce and no charges against him or Rummy. Cpt Yee, a fine American and West Pointer, ruined for Bush politics!
Bush should have been inpeached and turned over to the world criminal court and we would have renounced to the world his illegal foreign and domestic policies, and been well on the road to recovery. 11 Natzis convicted at Nurmberg to hang for the same as Dumys's pre-emptive war!
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crghss10 months ago
Lee did have classified papers on his person when he left GITMO. Major security breach. Did he make a mistake, yes. Was it over blown, yes. But don't pretend that he had nothing to do with his problems. He was the cause.
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hyperbola10 months ago
Spoken like a "good german" goosestepper. Why don't you start supporting american democracy and american heroes?
The Persecution of Lt. Cmdr. Diaz
http://www.harpers.org/archive/2007/10/hbc-9000...
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donald5110 months ago
crghss, classified papers? Maybe classified after the fact like Cheney classifying his energy meeting minutes with Ken Lay of Enron after the fact! Under the Bushies there has never been such abuse of the classification process... often to just hide political gaffs! Dumya immediately extended the classification on info on his dad that was supposed to be declassified and released back in 2001 too!
Why would a cleric have classified info? If he really did, then the government would have never have let him get off the hook. Bush politics hurt this soldier, his family, and this country!
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BravoSierra10 months ago
So, one night I'm Officer of the Day and I'm touring the regiment. I find about 10 "burn bags" of classified material sitting outside the comm center...someone had just set them there and forgotten to pick them all up. ****** happens all the time. Doesn't excuse it but very little comes of 99.999% of it.
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BravoSierra10 months ago
Let's at least hold the President as accountable for his blunders and lies as anyone else....oh, lets see, that would get him charged with violations of his Oath of Office and crimes against the Constitution...
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CORVIDIVS10 months ago
" Let us not forget the first US Army Moslem cleric at Gitmo, just doing his job, but incarcerated for 76 days of solitary confinement when he came back to the US on leave to see his wife and child. All ending in his divorce and no charges against him or Rummy. Cpt Yee, a fine American and West Pointer, ruined for Bush politics!
Bush should have been inpeached and turned over to the world criminal court and we would have renounced to the world his illegal foreign and domestic policies, and been well on the road to recovery. 11 Natzis convicted at Nurmberg to hang for the same as Dumys's pre-emptive war!"
SOMETIMES I WONDER that all our castigating of Bush and tribes just makes them more entrenched thus stronger and more willful in a crusade to do whatever,like some monster in a comic book that feeds on opposition...
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KMFDM10 months ago
(The whistleblower, an army major inside the military court system which the United States has established at Guantanamo Bay, has described the detention of one prisoner, a hospital administrator from Sudan, as "unconscionable".)
It was possibley one thing when it was just journalist, politicians, and bloggers questioning the on goings of Guantanamo bay, but how many of our own military personel are going to come and speak out untill some of you wise up.
("Stalin had show trials, but at Guantanamo they are not even show trials because it all takes place in secret.")
These are comments coming from our best uniform officers, not just some hack that has a propeller account.
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KMFDM10 months ago
Excuse me. The comment: "(Stalin had show trials, but at Guantanamo they are not even show trials because it all takes place in secret.)" was made by Michael Ratner, the president of the Centre for Constitutional Rights, which is co-ordinating investigations and appeals lawsuits against the government by some 1,000 lawyers. So yes that actual comment was not made by a uniform officer current a member of our arm forces. As far as the testimony of the major goes, for now it seems like the major wants to with hold his or hers name, for which I can not blame him or her. So regardless of not being able to pin point a gender, I believe the title of Major is a unlisted officer rank. Then we have a Lt. Col and a Lt. Com which are listed men officer ranks.
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KMFDM10 months ago
(All but 38 detainees were determined to be "enemy combatants" who could be held indefinitely without charges. Detainees were not represented by a lawyer and had no access to evidence. The only witnesses they could call were other so-called "enemy combatants)
How can that not be a concern to everyone?
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Crossbow10 months ago
Hmmm... The prisoners at Gitmo get Lemon Chicken with Rice Pilaf (among other comforts), yet you are so quick to believe the "accounts" of one "whistleblower". Is it just me or do I see a trend among you Liberals for finding any means to undermine the war effort?
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KMFDM10 months ago
(Two other military lawyers have also gone public. In June, Army Lt-Col Stephen Abraham, a 26-year veteran in US military intelligence, became the first insider to publicly fault the proceedings. In May last year, Lt-Com Matthew Diaz was sentenced to six months in prison and dismissed from the military after he sent the names of all 551 men at the prison to a human rights groups)
The accounts of just one whistleblower? I think not lol. Military personel are find it important enough for them to face actual prison time. This goes beyond your silley party lines wether you concider yourself liberal/conservative or Democrat/Republican.
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Crossbow10 months ago
Oi vey...are you really that ignorant?
During ANY war, there are people who are generally known as "Prisoners of War." These are people who have been captured and are being held for the duration of the war. It is only _after_ the completion of the war that they are usually put through any kind of formal trial. Therefore, by extension, the prisoners at Gitmo can be held _without_ charges for as long as it is considered necessary. And, for the record, it has been confirmed that people who have been released from Gitmo have been found back on the "battlefield." So, releasing them isn't smart now is it?
My whole point is that: People do not understand the reality of war. Most of us have been fortunate to grow up in a time of peace and not having a "draft" hanging over our heads. We fail to understand that these types of conflicts can take decades before they are truly completed.
Please get some "education" before you start expecting too much.
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