The US administration's basis for holding prisoners without charge or trial in the "War on Terror" belongs in a fantasy world. At the heart of this fantasy world are the Combatant Status Review Tribunals.

In the real world, where evidence obtained through torture is inadmissible, it remains unclear whether the government's attempts to set up a judicial system for alleged terrorists will ever be successful.

In the disturbing game of Russian roulette that confronts Algerians repatriated after facing allegations of impropriety (however groundless), they could face torture, show trials and further imprisonment.

In 2003, when he was 16, Omar was visited by representatives of Special Investigations. The video shows Omar displaying his wounds, weeping uncontrollably and pulling at his hair in despair.

Not content with endorsing the president's dictatorial right to imprison "enemy combatants", the judges ruled that the President did not even have to allege that an "enemy combatant" had ever raised arms against US forces.

As with justice, logic is in short supply in the executive's approach to terror suspects, who have been deprived of the protections of the Geneva Conventions to make false confessions.

What is distressing about this latest batch of releases is that two of the men -- those from Afghanistan and the UAE -- have left Guantanamo as unknown as when they arrived.