Mystery, Paranoia, Confusion: You Won't Believe What's Happening at Guantanamo

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/mystery-paranoia-confusion-you-wont-believe-whats-happening-guantanamo




Over the week of January 28-31 a great mystery played out at JTF-GTMO, the notorious military base and indefinite detention facility better known as Guantanamo Bay. The question at hand: who cut the media feed during a pre-trial hearing for Khalid Sheik Mohammed, self-proclaimed mastermind of 9/11, thus temporarily censoring the proceedings? Was there an unknown, outside force controlling the court? If so, who was it? What was intended to be a dry week of legal wrangling became a full-on whodunnit that was part Law & Order, part spy novel – if the final 50 pages had been blacked out.

On top of that, the week ended with defense attorneys openly questioning whether their conversations with clients were being secretly monitored. “We have significant reasons to believe we have been listened in [on],” David Nevin, defense attorney for KSM said at at press conference. “After this week,” said defense attorney James Connell, “the paranoia levels have kicked up a notch.”

If none of this sounds familiar, you can be forgiven. In the Obama era, news about GTMO (the military doesn't use the “i”) is either unwarrantedly optimistic – we're closing it, we swear – or, more frequently, totally ignored. And, quite tellingly, rather than close the prison, Obama has instead decided to close the office responsible for determining how to close the prison.

Last week the government held a round of what's called pre-trial motion hearings, which establish the specific rules of a trial. Given the almost complete lack of precedent in military commissions – more on that shortly – this process is even more important than it would be in a normal court.

[Berlum]

1. Reality was conveniently 'disappeared'

Too bad about that. Move along now...Isn't it about time for another Beyonce thread?

[Berlum]

2. Notorious

[progressoid]

3. Guantanamo? I thought we closed that place.

[KoKo]

4. Kick..

[bvar22]

5. Watch what they DO,

....not what they say.



You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their rhetoric, promises, or excuses.
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