For the past 17 years of his imprisonment at Guantánamo Bay, Ghassan al-Sharbi was a mystery to the American public. A prisoner at the notorious prison since his capture in 2002, al-Sharbi has never sought to speak publicly, unlike many other detainees held at the prison. He even refused legal counsel. But now, the Saudi […]
U.S.: Guantánamo Still an Option for Islamic State Captives in Syria Who Can’t Go Home…
Holding Islamic State suspects at Guantánamo is still a viable option, Trump administration officials say on the heels of a U.S. appeal to other nations to take home their nationals who are among some 700 suspected foreign fighters held by a U.S. ally militia in Syria. The remarks came two weeks after GOP senators Tom […]
Defense Lawyer: Attorney General Sessions Objected to 9/11 Trial Plea Deal…
Attorney General Jeff Sessions called Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis in October to protest exploratory talks about a plea deal in the 9/11 case that would have taken the death penalty off the table, according to an investigation by defense attorneys who want a military judge to order both men to testify at the war […]
Ex-Guantanamo Detainee Leaves Uruguay, Heads to Turkey…
A former Guantanamo detainee who has been unhappy with resettlement in Uruguay has once again left the South American nation, an official said Tuesday. Abu Wa’el Dhiab went to Turkey in late June, said Christian Mirza, the government’s liaison with six ex-Guantanamo Bay inmates resettled in Uruguay. Mirza said that it’s unclear if the Syrian […]
Guantánamo Installs Former USS Nimitz Commander as 18th Prison Boss in Stealth Ceremony…
Navy Rear Adm. John Ring, a former commander of the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, became the 18th commander of Guantánamo prison operations on Tuesday, taking charge of a 1,700-member military and civilian staff responsible for 41 war-on-terror captives. The prison spokeswoman, Navy Cmdr. Anne Leanos, disclosed after the fact that Navy Adm. Kurt Tidd, commander […]
Mattis Fires Guantánamo War Court Overseer…
In a surprise move, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis on Monday fired the top official overseeing the trials of the five men accused of plotting the 9/11 attacks and other alleged war criminals held at Guantánamo. It was not immediately known what caused Mattis to dismiss Harvey Rishikof, an attorney with experience in national security […]
Defense Lawyers Quit. Not So Fast, Says War Court Judge, Who Orders Them to Guantánamo…
In a new test of the reach of the Guantánamo war court, a military judge has ordered three civilian lawyers who quit the USS Cole defense team to come to court at the remote U.S. Navy base in Cuba next week. Attorneys Rick Kammen, Rosa Eliades and Mary Spears quit their jobs on Oct. 11 […]
Trump Administration Moves to Keep Full CIA ‘Torture’ Report Secret…
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has begun returning to Congress copies of a voluminous 2014 report describing the CIA’s harsh detention and interrogation programs, U.S. officials said on Friday. The Trump administration’s move means it could be more difficult for the full, 6,700-page report to be made public, because documents held by Congress are exempt […]