Guantánamo

9/11 Families Ask for True Justice

By Joel Engardio, ACLU at 1:38pm

A new ACLU video features family members of 9/11 victims calling for federal trials of terrorism suspects.

Please note that by playing this clip You Tube and Google will place a long-term cookie on your computer. Please see You Tube's privacy statement on their website and Google's privacy statement on theirs to learn more. To view the ACLU's privacy statement, click here.

Close it Right: Guantánamo Must Be Shut Down Quickly And Properly

By Anthony D. Romero, ACLU at 6:05pm

(Originally posted on Huffington Post.)

On January 22, 2009, his second full day in office, President Obama issued an executive order mandating that the prison camp at Guantánamo Bay be closed within a year. Well, the clock’s ticking and it’s not looking good. As January 22, 2010 fast approaches, the administration is signaling that it's unlikely to meet its own deadline.

"We Will Close Guantánamo"

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 6:05pm

November 16 is the Obama administration's self-imposed deadline to decide whether it will prosecute any of the detainees currently being held at Guantánamo in federal court.

According to news reports, there are still 215 detainees being held at Guantánamo.

Justice Denied: Voices from Guantánamo

By Joel Engardio, ACLU at 10:31am

Most Americans have only seen Guantánamo detainees as one-dimensional caricatures. But a new ACLU video features original footage in which the men talk about their lives — before, after and during their detention by the U.S.

Please note that by playing this clip You Tube and Google will place a long-term cookie on your computer. Please see You Tube's privacy statement on their website and Google's privacy statement on theirs to learn more. To view the ACLU's privacy statement, click here.

Life after Gitmo

By Ateqah Khaki at 2:49pm

Today, the Los Angeles Times reports on the struggle of former Guantánamo detainee Mohammed Jawad to readjust to freedom after spending roughly a third of his life in detention. In August, as a result of the ACLU's habeas corpus petition on behalf of Jawad, he was finally released and sent home to Afghanistan after 6 1/2 in U.S. custody.

Tortured Tunes

By Ateqah Khaki at 4:29pm

Today, a group of musicians, including REM, Pearl Jam and The Roots filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to find out whether their music was played at the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay.  The request for information stems from former Guantánamo detainees’ testimony and released government documents that document that music has been used as part of interrogations.

No Justice Can Come From Guantánamo Military Commissions

(Also posted on Huffington Post)

According to news reports, the Obama administration will decide by November 16 whether or not to move the cases of the 9/11 defendants from the Guantánamo military commissions system to U.S. federal courts. It should make this important move and put an end to a shameful era in American history.

The End of the Beginning? Or the Beginning of the End?

By Ben Wizner, Director, ACLU Speech, Privacy & Technology Project at 4:04pm

Nearly four years have passed since I first traveled to Guantánamo to observe proceedings in the military commission prosecution of Canadian Omar Khadr, who was 15 years old when seized in Afghanistan and has now spent fully a third of his life in captivity. In an ordinary justice system, Khadr's trial – and very likely any possible sentence – would have been completed long ago. Here at Guantánamo, we were back to square one with the dismissal of one of Khadr's lawyers and the introduction of two new defense lawyers – numbers 10 and 11 by my count – who are unfamiliar with the case and will need quite a bit of time to get up to speed. In other words, it's déjà vu all over again.

Closing Guantánamo: Not Just When, But How

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 11:51am

Since last Thursday's ProPublica and Washington Post article about the unlikelihood of the Obama administration meeting its own goal (PDF) of shuttering Guantánamo by January 22, 2010, Gitmo has constantly been in the news.

With all the discussion, it's important to reiterate that how Guantánamo will be closed is just as important as when.

Just the Beginning

By Nahal Zamani, Human Rights Program at 5:12pm

President Obama spoke eloquently this morning, delivering a historic speech before the United Nations General Assembly. In his speech, Obama outlined his administration's steps towards what he called a "new era of engagement," noting that ensuring basic human rights is essential to a peaceful world. Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU, said in a statement released today, "For eight years under President Bush, the U.S. undermined international human rights laws and refused to ratify treaties that have been embraced by the overwhelming majority of nations."

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