ACLU Comment on Appointment of Envoy to Close Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility
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WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today appointed Paul Lewis as the special envoy for closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. In his new position, Lewis will work with the State Department on transferring detainees out of the prison to other countries.
Christopher Anders, senior legislative counsel at the ACLU’s Washington Legislative Office, had this comment:
“The American Civil Liberties Union is pleased that Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has filled the important position of Defense Department envoy for closing the Guantanamo detention facility. We had been concerned about the lengthy delay in filling this critical job that the president ordered created as part of his National Defense University speech in May,” said Anders. “Paul Lewis has three decades of experience working on national security and rule of law issues at the highest levels of government. In his new position, he will play a critical role in carrying out the president’s commitment to close Guantanamo for good.”
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