Expert: Try Gitmo Detainees or Free Them Oct 27, 2009
(AP) All detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison should be freed or transferred to U.S. federal courts for trial by the Jan. 22 deadline , a U.N. human rights investigator said Monday ... Guantanamo now holds about 223 men, and according to a list released in late September at least 75 have been cleared for release ... Scheinin said all the remaining detainees should either be sent to trial by U.S. federal courts on the mainland or released - either in the United States or third countries - and... (CBS News)
18 comments Oct 27, 2009
Hoekstra s offense was committed when he raised the issue of President Obama s failure to notify Congress of where the president intends to send the more than 200 al-Quida all stars now held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Hoekstra -- backed up by subcommittee ranking Republican Sue Myrich (R-N.C.) as well as Mike Rogers (R-Mich. (Human Events Online)
Obama Repeats Pledge to Shut Guantanamo Oct 27, 2009
MIAMI -- President Barack Obama says he's serious about closing the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba ... Obama said: "We are going to close Guantanamo. We are serious about this.". (Newsmax)
Music used to torture? R.E.M., others seek... Oct 25, 2009
R.E.M. has joined more than 30 musicians concerned their music was used as a torture device during interrogation of detainees at U.S. military detention centers and prison facilities, including Guantanamo Bay, Cuba ... R.E.M. joins Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor and Pearl Jam, among a list of others, in the National Campaign to Close Guantanamo ... "We don't know that it was, don't know that it wasn't. That's not the complete point of this. We were just happy to join in the overall effort (to... (Athens Banner-Herald)
The Week in Review Oct 25, 2009
- R.E.M. and other bands filed a Freedom of Information Act request to find out if the federal government used their music in interrogating prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Among the 31 artists whose music is in the FOIA requests are AC/DC, Aerosmith, The Bee Gees, Britney Spears, James Taylor, Neil Diamond and Meatloaf. (Athens Banner-Herald)
Three rights groups decline Guantanamo tour Oct 24, 2009
SAN JUAN - Three human rights groups said yesterday that they will decline an invitation to tour the Guantanamo Bay prison next month because it doesn t include an opportunity to speak with prisoners ... The four regularly send observers to the proceedings of the war crimes tribunals at Guantanamo but have sought to inspect the prison camps and meet with prisoners, hoping to provide the Obama administration with an outside assessment of conditions. (Boston Globe)
Attorney general talks about war on terrorism Oct 24, 2009
Holder spoke in Maine a day after the Senate approved legislation that prohibits the Obama administration from transferring any detainee being held at the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba to the United States for trial until 45 days after it has given notice to Congress ... If Guantanamo is not closed by then "it will be closed shortly thereafter," Holder said. (Fresno Bee -- Nation)
Senate OKs 3.4% pay hike for troops Oct 24, 2009
Prohibits the Obama administration from transferring any detainee being held at the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba to the U.S. for trial until 45 days after it has given notice to Congress. Guantanamo prisoners could not be released into the U.S.. (Honolulu Advertiser)
3.4 percent military pay hike passes Congress Oct 23, 2009
The far-reaching legislation also prohibits the Obama administration from transferring any detainee being held at the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba to the U.S. for trial until 45 days after it has given notice to Congress. Guantanamo prisoners could not be released into the U.S.. (MSNBC -- Politics)
Bands crank up volume on Guantanamo debate Oct 23, 2009
22: A coalition of well known musicians is outraged that their music was allegedly used to torture detainees at Guantanamo Bay, and is pressuring the Obama administration to close the facility ... 22: A coalition of well known musicians is outraged that their music was allegedly used to torture detainees at Guantanamo Bay, and is pressuring the Obama administration to close the facility ... WASHINGTON - A coalition of mega-bands and singers outraged that music including theirs was... (MSNBC -- International)
Saying 'No' to Gitmo North Oct 23, 2009
Hoekstra s offense was committed when he raised the issue of President Obama s failure to notify Congress of where the president intends to send the more than 200 al-Quida all stars now held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Hoekstra backed up by subcommittee ranking Republican Sue Myrich (R-NC) as well as Mike Rogers (R-Mi), Peter King (R-NY) and Mac Thornberry (R-Tx) -- was clear and direct, accusing Obama of trying to kill congressional oversight. (Human Events Online)
Was music used at Gitmo Oct 23, 2009
(CNN) -- A coalition of top musicians, including R.E.M. and Pearl Jam, want to know if their music was used by the U.S. military as part of controversial interrogation methods at the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Ruhal Ahmed, left, shown at a 2007 news conference, says he had to listen to hours of music at Guantanamo ... The artists have endorsed a series of Freedom of Information Act requests, which were filed Thursday morning, asking the U.S. government to declassify documents... (CNN -- International)
Veterans 'Close Gitmo' Group Targets Cheney Oct 22, 2009
WASHINGTON - A group of retired generals and war veterans has launched a national campaign to rally support for White House plans to shutter the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba ... Obama won a modest victory Tuesday when Congress approved for his signature a plan to allow the government to continue to transfer Guantanamo detainees to the U.S. for prosecution ... A group opposing the closure of the prison, Keep America Safe, said in a statement Tuesday that those held at Guantanamo are... (Newsmax)
AP: Guantanamo Detainees Case Reaches Supreme Court Oct 22, 2009
The case could further complicate the administration's plans to close the Guantanamo prison where 220 or so men are still held ... In fact, Kagan said, "they are free to leave Guantanamo Bay to go to any country that is willing to accept them." ... In the meantime, she said, they are no longer being detained as enemy combatants, but "are being housed under relatively unrestrictive conditions," given Guantanamo's status as a military base. (Missourian Publishing, MO)
Rep. Franks: Dems put terrorists' rights before Americans' safety Oct 22, 2009
made the incendiary claim during an interview on a conservative news radio program that the decision to close the terrorist detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba would "strengthen the hands of terrorists.". "I've been on the Judiciary Committee as well as the Armed Services Committee, and it has bewildered me as to why this Democratic majority has worked to seemingly protect the rights of terrorists more than to protect the American people," Franks said in an interview on the "Dateline... (TheHill.com)
Delays Granted in 2 Gitmo Cases Oct 22, 2009
Delays Granted in 2 Guantanamo Cases - TIME ... (SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico) Military judges at Guantanamo Bay granted requests for further continuances in two war crimes cases Wednesday as the Obama administration evaluates how to proceed with the prosecution of detainees ... The rulings mean that six pending Guantanamo cases have been delayed until Nov. 16, the government's self-imposed deadline for deciding how and where they might continue. (Time.com)
Glenn Greenwald Oct 22, 2009
when we imprison Muslims without charges in places like Guantanamo and Bagram ... Last year, that Mohamed -- who was then at Guantanamo -- had the right to obtain those documents from the British intelligence service in order to prove that statements he made to the CIA were the by-product of coercion. (Salon)
New Delay Sought in Guantanamo Bay War Crimes Case Oct 22, 2009
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Military prosecutors have asked a judge at Guantanamo Bay for another continuance in the war crimes case against a Sudanese detainee ... Prosecutors in pending Guantanamo cases have been asking judges to delay them until at least Nov. 16, the government's self-imposed deadline for deciding how and where they might proceed. (Fox News)
Scoop: Musicians protest music used for torture Oct 22, 2009
Trent Reznor, R.E.M., Pearl Jam and The Roots are among the musicians joining the National Campaign to Close Guantanamo and are backing an effort to have documents detailing the use of music used in conjunction with torture there declassified. (The United Nations has banned the use of music as torture under the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, but the Convention goes largely unenforced, according to the National Campaign to Close... (MSNBC -- Gossip)
Musicians turn up volume on Gitmo debate Oct 22, 2009
No, that's not a bunch of volume-addled parents demanding peace and quiet but a call from a coalition of mega-bands and singers outraged that music including theirs was cranked up to help break uncooperative detainees at Guantanamo Bay and other U.S. detention sites ... "At Guantanamo, the U.S. government turned a jukebox into an instrument of torture," said Thomas Blanton, executive director of the archive, an independent, nongovernmental research institute ... In one case interrogators... (MSNBC -- International)
To Amherst, via Guantnamo Bay Oct 21, 2009
To Amherst, via Guantanamo Bay ... We like to set our own foreign policy, said Ruth Hooke, a retired University of Massachusetts professor, a Town Meeting member, and participant in Pioneer Valley No More Guantanamos, a local chapter of a national movement calling for the release of detainees imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay ... Nancy Talanian, founder of No More Guantanamos, said court hearings and documents have shown that many of the detainees at the military detention center have no evident ties... (Boston Globe)
Justices to hear Uighurs' bid for release Oct 21, 2009
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court said Tuesday it will hear a new case about the rights of Guantanamo detainees, this time involving prisoners who remain in custody even after the Pentagon determines they're not a threat to the United States ... The 13 Chinese Muslims, or Uighurs, who remain at Guantanamo have been cleared by the Pentagon for release since 2004, yet have been held roughly eight years ... The Pacific nation has offered to take six of the seven other Uighurs at Guantanamo. (MSNBC -- International)
Supreme Court to hear appeal of Uighurs still at Guantnamo Oct 21, 2009
In this June 1 file photo reviewed by the US military, Chinese Uighur Guantanamo detainees, who at the time were cleared for release but had no country to go to, show a home-made note to visiting members of the media ... She added, "The date on which the plane is scheduled to depart Guantanamo for Palau is classified." ... Solicitor General Kagan counters that the Uighurs have already obtained all the relief they are due since they are "free to leave Guantanamo Bay to go to any country that is... (Christian Science Monitor -- USA)
Senate OKs transfer of Gitmo prisoners for trials Oct 21, 2009
20: Under a measure that cleared Congress, the Obama administration can nowbring foreign terrorism suspects held atGuantanamo Bayto the U.S.forprosecution ... WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama won a modest victory Tuesday in his effort to close the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba, with a Senate vote that allows the government to continue to move detainees at the facility to the U.S. to be prosecuted ... The Guantanamo provision generally tracks restrictions already in place that... (MSNBC -- International)
Court to consider Uighurs' plea for freedom Oct 21, 2009
Guantanamo detainees case reaches Supreme Court. Article:Guantanamo detainees case reaches Supreme Court:/n/a/2009/10/20/national/w070604D98 ... DTL Article:Guantanamo detainees case reaches Supreme Court:/n/a/2009/10/20/national/w070604D98. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Politics)
The Uighurs to Get Their Day in Court Oct 21, 2009
Supreme Court to Hear Case About Ethnic Chinese Muslims Held in Guantanamo Bay ... For the first time since President Barack Obama took office nine months ago, the has decided to hear a case regarding the release of detainees held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba ... In this file photo taken Monday, June 15, 2009, former Guantanamo detainees Abdulla Abdulqadir, from. (ABC News)
UN investigator urges protection of detainees Oct 21, 2009
Guantanamo detainees case reaches Supreme Court. The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to decide whether Guantanamo detainees who are considered no threat can be ordered released in the United States - over the objections of the Obama administration and Congress - if the prisoners have nowhere else to go ... The case could further complicate the administration's plans to close the Guantanamo prison where 220 or so men are still held. (Fresno Bee -- Nation)
Justices to decide if detainees can be freed in US Oct 21, 2009
Uighurs held at Guantanamo despite ruling ... WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court set aside the objections of the Obama administration and said yesterday it will consider whether judges have the power to release Guantanamo Bay detainees into the United States if they have been deemed not to be enemy combatants ... Last year, the court ruled, 5 to 4, that a Guantanamo detainee had the right to prove to a federal judge that he was being unlawfully held as an enemy combatant. (Boston Globe)
Group tries to blunt right wing on closing Gitmo Oct 21, 2009
File - In this image reviewed by the U.S. Military, a razor-wired fence is shown above the Camp Delta 2 and 3 base sign, in this June 25, 2005 file photo taken at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. Aiming to break through congressional opposition to White House plans to shutter the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a group of retired generals and war veterans have launched the "Close Gitmo Now" campaign, that includes a relatively modest $100,000 ad buy on cable channels Wednesday Oct.... (Anchorage Daily News)
Jon Stewart caters to Colonial crowd Oct 20, 2009
During the show, he impersonated former Vice President Dick Cheney, while expressing frustration over America's unexplainable and overzealous fear and inability to know what to do with the detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He said that even Cheney would not shoot the Guantanamo Bay detainees in the face, because they are the "worst of the worst.". (GW Hatchet, Washington DC)
US scientist accused of trying to sell secrets Oct 20, 2009
A federal judge ruled Friday in a case on detainees at Guantanamo Bay that the government can maintain the secrecy of portions of some records that allegedly describe torture and abuse. The American Civil Liberties Union has been seeking release of the material under the Freedom of Information Act on 14 detainees who went before U.S. military panels at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. (Fresno Bee -- Nation)
Western Terror Recruits on the Rise Oct 20, 2009
Among those arrested were four Swedes, including Mehdi Ghezali, a former inmate of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Meanwhile, three Belgians and a French citizen are facing trial in their respective home countries after they were arrested upon their return from Pakistani camps last year. (CBS News -- US)
Kan. lawmaker reposts anti-Obama Rap Oct 17, 2009
In his rap, he criticizes Obama over health care, the environment, the economy and Obama's plans to close the prison for terrorist detainees in Guantanamo Bay Cuba. The lawmaker says in his new introduction that he's proud the U.S. has elected its first black president and that he's much more critical of Congress than Obama. (MSNBC -- Politics)
Republicans fail to stop Gitmo transfers into US... Oct 16, 2009
WASHINGTON (AP) - Handing President Barack Obama a partial victory in his effort to close the Guantanamo Bay prison, House Democrats on Thursday repelled a Republican effort to block transfer of any of the detainees to the U.S. Instead, by a 224-193 vote, the House stood by a Democratic plan to allow suspected enemy combatants held at the controversial facility in Cuba to be shipped to U.S. soil but only to be prosecuted for their suspected crimes. The Guantanamo restrictions were attached by... (The Drudge Report)
Obama, liberals splitting on issues Oct 16, 2009
compared a witness the Obama administration sent to Capitol Hill to the witnesses dispatched by the Bush administration, which fought battles with liberals over enemy combatants, secret overseas prisons, warrantless wiretaps and the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba ... Administration officials have also expressed unhappiness with the actions of some of Obama's supporters in Congress, particularly language in spending bills prohibiting the relocation of the U.S. terrorism detainees held at the... (MSNBC -- Politics)
Gitmo vote: GOP fails to stop transfers to U.S. Oct 16, 2009
WASHINGTON - Handing President Barack Obama a partial victory in his effort to close the Guantanamo Bay prison, House Democrats on Thursday repelled a Republican effort to block transfer of any of the detainees to the U.S. ... The Guantanamo restrictions were attached by House-Senate negotiators on a $42 ... Democratic leaders had to push hard to win the vote because many Democrats two weeks ago had cast a nonbinding but politically safe vote against any Guantanamo detainee transfers. (MSNBC -- International)
McConnell: Don't Bring 9/11 Plotters to U.S. Oct 15, 2009
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell Wednesday defended a Republican measure to prevent bringing five September 11 suspects from their Guantanamo prison to the United States for trial in civilian courts ... "And the answer is perfectly clear: the right forum is military commissions at the secure facility we already have at Guantanamo, not in civilian courts in US communities," he added ... The House in June had passed a bill banning the transfer to the United States of any detainee at the US... (Newsmax)
Saudi Program may be Option for Detainees Oct 15, 2009
Washington Post: Obama Administration Feels That Saudi Arabia may be Ideal Destination for Yemeni Guantanamo Prisoners ... In this photo taken Wednesday, May 13, 2009 and reviewed by the U.S. military, the sun rises over the Guantanamo detention facility at dawn, at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, Cuba ... Four years after Khalid al-Jehani's release from the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the 34-year-old Saudi lives a peaceful life in this sprawling coastal city. (CBS News)
Don't back down on closing Guantanamo Oct 15, 2009
Congressional Democrats are backing away from a total blockade on bringing Guantanamo detainees into the United States, at least for prosecution ... Still, there are concerns federal spending bills could severely limit options on moving detainees from Guantanamo ... No. The belief - and there is nothing to back up this group think - is that moving Guantanamo detainees to U.S. soil creates local terror targets. (Juneau Empire)
Getting the holy word out Oct 15, 2009
The campaign comes intentionally on the heels of deadly riots that followed a faulty report last month of interrogators flushing a Koran down a toilet at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The campaign has stirred debate among Muslims, says organizer and CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper, because some say it invites further desecration or misinterpretation. (Yahoo News -- Arab and Muslim Americans)
Michigan Town Lobbies to Get Guantanamo Detainees Oct 15, 2009
While politicians across America furiously resist the idea of transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees to their communities, one small Michigan town is lobbying to get them ... The Standish City Council is scheduled to vote Thursday on a resolution to support transferring more than 200 incarcerated terrorism suspects to Standish when President Obama fulfills his promise to close the detention facility at U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (Fox News)
Navy moves to put women on subs Oct 14, 2009
She served aboard aircraft carriers and at the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Tight fitKings Bay is the East Coast base for the Navy's Ohio-class submarines, which are armed with Trident nuclear missiles and go on 77-day tours of duty underwater. (MSNBC -- Terrorism)
Navy considers allowing women on submarines Oct 14, 2009
She served aboard aircraft carriers and at the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Associated Press sought permission to interview sailors at Kings Bay about the potential policy shift, but after a week, the Navy had yet to give its approval. (AZCentral -- News)
Mauritius: Country Declines to Host Detention Camp for Pirates Oct 12, 2009
Other than setting up the detention centre - similar to the infamous US-run Guantanamo Bay in Cuba - Mauritius was also requested to host a special tribunal comprising local and foreign judges to try captured pirates. The move could have offered relief to Kenya's judicial system which has taken up various cases of suspected pirates captured outside Kenya's jurisdiction since 2006, despite the fact the country is struggling with a backlog of cases. (allAfrica.com)
Guantanamo detainees sent to Kuwait, Belgium Oct 11, 2009
Latest Political Stories. Latest World Stories. (Fresno Bee)
Obama's Nobel Honors Promise, Not Action Oct 11, 2009
But he also promised to close the globally controversial U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a task with difficulties that have Obama headed to miss his own January 2010 deadline. He said he would end the Iraq war. (KCRA 3, CA)
Obama says Nobel an 'affirmation of American leadership' Oct 10, 2009
Obama was elected last year on a platform of extracting U.S. forces from Iraq and closing the terror detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. This contributed to changing the negative perception of the U.S. after the presidency of George W. Bush. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Mon Dieu! Coloradan may teach French to Canadians Oct 10, 2009
A Canadian detainee charged with war crimes fired his military lawyer Wednesday and was given two new civilian attorneys during a court proceeding at Guantanamo Bay, a U.S. spokesman said. Joseph DellaVedova, spokesman for the Pentagon's Office of Military Commissions, said the judge in the case at the offshore U.S. jail for terrorism suspects agreed to name two civilian as lead lawyers for Omar Khadr, who accepted the new counsel. (Fresno Bee)
Despite Drumbeat About Departure, White House Counsel Vows to Stay Oct 10, 2009
In his most wide-ranging interview as White House counsel, Gregory Craig said Friday that he does not intend to resign his position and he pushed back against criticism of his role in the Obama administration's plan to close the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba ... Administration officials, quoted anonymously in news reports, second-guessed Craig's support of a one-year deadline to shutter Guantanamo ... In an article in The Washington Post last month, Craig was quoted saying he may have... (Law.com)
Dozens arrested in anti-war rally Oct 9, 2009
GW alumnus David Barrows, who graduated in 1972, was one of the many protesters arrested who were wearing orange jumpsuits and black hoods, representing prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Barrows said he was prepared to break the law as part of the protest by remaining on the sidewalk after Park officials told the group to disperse. (GW Hatchet, Washington DC)
Gitmo inmates set for US? Oct 9, 2009
Congressional leaders agreed for the first time that Guantanamo detainees could be sent to US soil for trial, boosting President Barack Obama's bid to close the prison. In two different draft bills, key Democratic lawmakers added clauses that would authorise detainees at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to be transferred to the United States to face trial under strict conditions ... Both draft texts explicitly barred any of the 223 detainees still in Guantanamo from being freed in the... (iAfrica.com)
Valley cities see low levels of hate crimes Oct 9, 2009
The bill, passed by a 281-146 vote, also prohibits the Obama administration from transferring any detainees being held at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba to the U.S. until 45 days after the administration submits a comprehensive plan for closing the controversial prison. The measure, which included a 3. (Fresno Bee)
Lawmakers offer plan for detainees Oct 8, 2009
WASHINGTON - In a partial victory for President Obama's troubled bid to close the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, key congressional negotiators unveiled a plan Wednesday to permit terror suspects held there to continue to be transferred into the United States to face trial ... Obama's order to close Guantanamo by mid-January has vexed his Democratic allies on Capitol Hill, who complain that it was dropped on them without a plan to carry it out ... Republicans have been enthusiastic in their... (MSNBC -- International)
Congress agrees holding Guantanamo inmates in US Oct 8, 2009
" Such transfers would only be allowed after Congress receives a plan detailing the risks involved, how to mitigate them and other demands. A less specific clause added to a Defense Department authorization bill demands that the president provide a "comprehensive disposition plan" at least 45 days prior to any transfer of detainees to the United States. The measures must still face a vote before the full Senate and House of Representatives. Just last week, the House voted to prevent the transfer... (Channelnewsasia.com)
Canadian At Gitmo Accepts 2 Lead Civilian Lawyers Oct 8, 2009
(AP) A Canadian detainee charged with war crimes fired his military lawyer Wednesday and was given two new civilian attorneys during a court proceeding at Guantanamo Bay, a U.S. spokesman said ... At hearings earlier this year, Khadr _ the last Western detainee held at Guantanamo _ tried to fire all his military lawyers, but kept Kuebler on when told he had to have at least one military attorney ... His war crimes trial is on hold until Nov. 16 as President Barack Obama conducts a formal review... (CBS News -- World)
The essence of diplomatic engagement Oct 7, 2009
The Iraq war lingers, Afghanistan continues to be mired in its endless cycle of tribal disarray and Islamist resurgence, Guantanamo remains open. Still, Obama has introduced important changes in both the style and substance of US diplomacy. (Boston Globe)
Few Successes in Obama's Ambitious Agenda Oct 7, 2009
Mr. Obama promised to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay by Jan. 20, 2010, - that's u 00004000 nlikely ... Mr. Obama promised to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay by Jan. 20, 2010, - that's unlikely ... Ordering the closing of Guantanamo Bay military detention facility and abolishing "enhanced interrogation techniques." * Setting a fixed timetable for withdrawing U.S. combat forces from Iraq. (CBS News -- Early Show)
Holder Decides No Death Penalty for Accused 1998 U.S. Embassy Bomber Oct 6, 2009
He is a Tanzanian national who had been held since September 2006 at the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba until his transfer to New York City last June ... for Ghailani when he had been going through the Commission process at Guantanamo Bay. (ABC News)
Hotels, other sites may house detained immigrants Oct 6, 2009
With the closing of the Guantanamo Bay prison by a January deadline in doubt, the Justice Department Saturday announced the transfer of three detainees to the governments of Yemen and Ireland ... It also praised President Barack Obama's decision to shutter Guantanamo Bay. (Fresno Bee -- State)
Detainee’s case shows hurdles to getting out Oct 4, 2009
Yemeni man at Guantanamo was seen as risk ... WASHINGTON - To understand how hard it is proving for President Obama to close the American military prison at Guantanamo Bay, consider the case of Alla Ali Bin Ali Ahmed, Internee Security number 692 ... Even if Ahmed was not dangerous in 2002, they said, Guantanamo itself might have radicalized him, exposing him to militant fellow prisoners and embittering him against the United States. (Boston Globe)
Lone llama rescued after month on Pikes Peak Oct 3, 2009
A federal judge has ordered the release of a Kuwaiti man held at Guantanamo Bay and rebuked the U.S. government for relying on scant evidence, uncredible witnesses and coerced confessions to hold him for more than seven years. In an opinion declassified Friday, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said government attorneys presented a "surprisingly bare" record during four days of classified hearings last month to oppose Fouad Al Rabiah's request for release from the U.S. naval detention... (Fresno Bee -- Nation)
House blocks bringing Guantanamo detainees to U.S. Oct 2, 2009
U.S. House votes against bringing Guantanamo detainees to homeland_English_Xinhua. U.S. House votes against bringing Guantanamo detainees to homeland ... The Guantanamo prison was opened in 2002, with some 223 detainees left. (Xinhuanet, China)
The Democrats' Other Dispute: Whether to Close Gitmo Oct 2, 2009
Closing Guantanamo: The Democrats' Next Dispute - TIME. U.S.. (Time.com)
House: Keep Gitmo Detainees Out of U.S. Oct 2, 2009
(AP) The House went on record Thursday against allowing detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba to be transferred to the United States, even to face trial or to be jailed in maximum-security prisons ... Supporters of the transfer ban say an overwhelmi 00004000 ng number of their constituents want to keep Guantanamo prisoners where they are ... Supporters of closing Guantanamo say the facility and the lengthy detention of suspects who may have been held indefinitely without trial have... (CBS News)
* Pressure grows on Guantanamo Oct 1, 2009
Pressure grows on Guantanamo. THE USE OF FEAR: The US Congress has withheld money from the Obama administration to close Guantanamo prison and demanded a detailed plan REUTERS , WASHINGTON Thursday, Oct 01, 2009, Page 7 ... A billboard at the Farragut North Metro station in Washington displays an image of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden wearing an I love Guantanamo T-shirt in this undated picture. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)