Members of Congress also urged for greater transparency in the military commission process…
After 15 Years of Detention, 2021 Trial Date Set for 5 Guantanamo Bay Detainees…
Five men being held in Guantanamo Bay prison accused of planning and aiding the September 11 terror attacks will go on trial in 2021. If convicted at the military commission, which combines elements of civilian and military law, the defendants could face the death penalty. The five detainees include Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, a senior al […]
Justice Breyer Has a Message for the Supreme Court About Guantanamo Bay
The Supreme Court rejected a challenge Monday to the indefinite detention of enemy combatants at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba, as one justice warned that similar disputes will inevitably return to the high court. Monday’s case involved a Yemeni national called Moath Hamza Ahmed Al-Alwi who has been held at Guantanamo Bay since […]
Commander of Guantanamo Bay Military Prison Fired for ‘Loss of Confidence in His Ability to Command’…
The Navy fired the commander of the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba on Saturday for “loss of confidence in his ability to command.” Navy Rear Adm. John Ring was relieved of his command after a military investigation, according to a Defense Department official who was not authorized to speak publicly. The nature of the […]
Guantánamo Bay “Forever” Prisoner Speaks Out — to Praise Congress, Lindsey Graham, and Thomas Friedman…
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 […]