That was essentially the end of al-Nashiri’s participation in the arraignment, which was primarily intended to deal with administrative issues, and included the formal reading of the capital charges against him and the opportunity for the attorneys to present several motions to the court.
Al-Nashiri agreed to waive his right to conflict-free counsel (one of his attorneys also represented another Guantanamo detainee), and then his attorney questioned the judge for several minutes to determine whether he would challenge the judge’s ability to preside over the trial.
Kammen spent most of the time asking about the judge’s thoughts on the death penalty and his feelings on torture. A report by the CIA Inspector General revealed that al-Nashiri had been subjected to "enhanced interrogation techniques," including two instances of waterboarding. He also was threatened with a gun and a power drill because interrogators believed he was withholding information about possible attacks against the U.S.
The judge repeatedly refused to answer questions about his personal feelings, saying that he would follow the law.
http://fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/09/8722227-unprecedented-public-view-of-a-gitmo-hearingSo what the heck is the purpose of this hearing other than administrative issues... If this man is acquitted he will still go back to his cell at Gitmo.... Let's just close this place down...
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