Habeas Corpus

Justice at Last? Guantanamo Uighurs Ask Supreme Court for Release Into U.S.

Andy Worthington | Posted 10.20.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

In briefs, the battle lines have been drawn. On the one hand is the government, endorsing Bush-era policies. And for the Uighurs, there is a Boston-based attorney and his team.

Lawyer Blasts "Congressional Depravity" on Guantanamo

Andy Worthington | Posted 10.09.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

Lt. Col. David Frakt said Congress is still behaving unconstitutionally with regard to the right of the Executive branch and the Judiciary to order the release of prisoners from Guantanamo.

75 Guantanamo Prisoners Cleared for Release; 31 Could Leave Today

Andy Worthington | Posted 10.05.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

If the rationale for not releasing the Yemenis from Guantánamo was extended to the U.S. prison system, no prisoner would ever be released at the end of their sentence, because prison "might have radicalized" them.

A Truly Shocking Guantanamo Story: Judge Confirms That an Innocent Man Was Tortured to Make False Confessions

Andy Worthington | Posted 09.30.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

The U.S. government tortured an innocent man to extract false confessions and then threatened him until he obligingly repeated those lies as though they were the truth.

Uighur Brothers: Detainee Declines Offer To Leave Guantanamo Out Of Loyalty To Ailing Brother (VIDEO)

The Huffington Post | Posted 09.28.2009 | World


After eight years of detention, at least one Guantanamo Bay detainee declined an offer to resettle to the Pacific Island of Palau, according to The Wa...

Is Bagram Obama's New Secret Prison?

Andy Worthington | Posted 11.15.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

The Obama administration is following Bush's lead by unilaterally rewriting the Geneva Conventions, presumably to allow it to continue exploiting prisoners of war for their supposed intelligence value.

No Escape From Guantanamo: The Latest Habeas Rulings

Andy Worthington | Posted 11.10.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

Rulings made by District Court judges in the habeas corpus appeals of prisoners held at Guantánamo seemed to confirm that the courts were uniquely placed to deliver justice to the prisoners.

An Obama Rendition Scenario

Barton Kunstler, Ph.D. | Posted 09.27.2009 | Politics


Barton Kunstler, Ph.D.

Obama recently ratified continuation of the U.S. rendition policy. Amazingly, I just received a recording from the near-future of an interrogation conducted under the new kinder, gentler rules. Let's listen in.

From Death Panel to Death Spiral

Jeff Schweitzer | Posted 09.17.2009 | Politics


Jeff Schweitzer

The GOP is not the party of small government and lower taxes. They are the Party of borrow and spend, big government and sex scandals.

Bagram Isn't The New Guantanamo, It's The Old Guantanamo

Andy Worthington | Posted 09.15.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

From what I have been able to gather about the workings of Bagram, I have no reason to conclude that the prison is now being run according to the Geneva Conventions.

A Plea to Barack Obama from the Guantanamo Uighurs

Andy Worthington | Posted 09.06.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

Four months ago, 17 unjustly detained prisoners wrote a letter to Obama asking for their release. The government censors have only just cleared it and I have reprinted it here.

Guantanamo As Hotel California: You Can Check Out Any Time You Like, But You Can Never Leave

Andy Worthington | Posted 09.03.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

Prisoners who do not face ill-treatment on return to their homelands are still held, no matter how many times their release is approved by various representatives of the U.S. government.

As Judge Orders Release of Tortured Guantanamo Prisoner, Government Refuses to Concede Defeat

Andy Worthington | Posted 08.31.2009 | World


Andy Worthington

I still have no firm idea why Obama and Holder have allowed the Justice Department to pursue unjustifiable and unwinnable habeas cases, resulting in humiliation after humiliation.

The Honeymoon's Over Mr. President - Now Deal with Guantanamo, Gay Rights and Health Care

Michael B. Laskoff | Posted 08.29.2009 | Politics


Michael B. Laskoff

The true test of a president is not how he performs with the wind at his back, but how he performs in the face of stiff resistance.

Despite Leeway, Government Faring Poorly In Gitmo Suits

ProPublica | Posted 08.23.2009 | Politics


As the Obama administration and Congress try to forge a legal framework for detaining suspected terrorists, they might want to take a close look at wh...

Justice Dept. Abandons Torture-Based Evidence In Gitmo Case

The Washington Independent | Posted 08.16.2009 | Politics


The Justice Department informed a federal district court Wednesday that it was no longer seeking to rely on coerced and tortured evidence in the habea...

Former Insider Shatters Credibility of Military Commissions

Andy Worthington | Posted 08.11.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

Lt. Col. Vandeveld said, "I simply could not in good conscience continue to work for an ad-hoc, hastily created apparatus whose evident resort to expediency and ethical compromise were so contrary to my own."

Never Forget: The International Day in Support of Victims of Torture

Andy Worthington | Posted 07.27.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

Sadly, our celebrity-obsessed world is unlikely to pay much attention to the International Day in Support of the Victims of Torture, as the death of Michael Jackson dominates headlines.

Judge Orders Release from Guantanamo of Al-Qaeda Torture Victim

Andy Worthington | Posted 07.25.2009 | World


Andy Worthington

In over three years of researching and reporting about the prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, I learned that many of the men were "Mickey Mouse" prisoners, with no connection to terrorism whatsoever.

Empty Evidence: The Stories of the Saudis Released From Guantanamo

Andy Worthington | Posted 07.18.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

Khalid Saad Mohammed seized from a hospital in Pakistan and sold to the U.S. military. But the authorities in GITMO had never managed to build up a credible case against him.

Free The Guantanamo Uighurs!

Andy Worthington | Posted 07.02.2009 | World


Andy Worthington

Obama needs to find the courage to resist the shrill opportunism of some of his least principled colleagues, and to order the Uighurs' release into the United States.

My Message To Obama: Great Speech, But No Military Commissions and No "Preventive Detention"

Andy Worthington | Posted 06.21.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

Look at the sentence, "Hold[ing] individuals to keep them from carrying out an act of war," replace "an act of war" with "any crime," and you will realize why the proposed policy is so terrifying.

Guantanamo: A Prison Built On Lies

Andy Worthington | Posted 06.19.2009 | World


Andy Worthington

It is difficult to see how much of the "evidence" against the Gitmo prisoners can be anything other than a tissue of lies extracted through torture, coercion, bribery and exploitation.

Judge Gladys Kessler Releases Yemeni Detainee, Slams "Mosaic" Of Guantanamo Intelligence And Unreliable Witnesses

Andy Worthington | Posted 06.14.2009 | World


Andy Worthington

I am surprised that senior Obama officials seem to have been content to let a Bush-era approach to prosecution survive unchanged.

Obama's First 100 Days: A Start On Guantanamo, But Not Enough

Andy Worthington | Posted 06.04.2009 | World


Andy Worthington

Just Binyam Mohamed and the Yemeni doctor, Ayman Batarfi have been cleared for release. At this rate, of course, it will take decades to close Guantánamo.