Clipmarks | Guantanamo bay Clips

Extraordinary rendition: An Australian's story

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:37:32 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: "Most of his fingernails were missing and he regularly bled from the nose, mouth, and ears while he slept."

Clip Source: www.atimes.com

Mamdouh Habib, an Australian citizen, was living in Sydney with his wife and four children when he took a trip alone to Pakistan

When Habib boarded a bus for the Islamabad airport to return home, Pakistani police seized him

After 15 days in the Pakistani prison, Habib was transferred to

United States agents who flew him to Cairo. When he arrived, Omar Solaimon, chief of Egyptian security, informed him that Egypt receives US$10 million for every confessed terrorist they hand over to the US.

during his five months in Egypt, "there was no interrogation, only torture". His skin was burned with cigarettes, and he was threatened with dogs, beaten, and repeatedly shocked with a stun gun.

American agents sent Habib to Guantanamo Bay. Three British detainees

Most of his fingernails were missing and he regularly bled from the nose, mouth, and ears while he slept.

Rather than have

testimony on the torture

US officials decided to send him back to Sydney in January 2005

Tags: rendition, war on terror, war crimes

An indefinite state of war

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 06:44:45 GMT

clipped by: deusdiabolus

Clip Source: rawstory.com

As the nation focuses on Sen. John McCain's choice of running mate, President Bush has quietly moved to expand the reach of presidential power by ensuring that America remains in a state of permanent war.

Buried in a recent proposal by the Administration is a sentence that has received scant attention -- and was buried itself in the very newspaper that exposed it Saturday. It is an affirmation that the United States remains at war with al Qaeda, the Taliban and "associated organizations."

Part of a proposal for Guantanamo Bay legal detainees, the provision before Congress seeks to “acknowledge again and explicitly that this nation remains engaged in an armed conflict with Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated organizations, who have already proclaimed themselves at war with us and who are dedicated to the slaughter of Americans.”

Bush seeks to make "war powers" permanent

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:06:49 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan
clipper's remarks: "Tucked deep into a recent proposal from the Bush administration is a provision that has received almost no public attention, yet in many ways captures one of President Bush’s defining legacies: an affirmation that the United States is still at war with Al Qaeda. "

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Seven years after the Sept. 11 attacks, Mr. Bush’s advisers assert that many Americans may have forgotten that. So they want Congress to say so and “acknowledge again and explicitly that this nation remains engaged in an armed conflict with Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated organizations, who have already proclaimed themselves at war with us and who are dedicated to the slaughter of Americans.”

The language, part of a proposal for hearing legal appeals from detainees at the United States naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, goes beyond political symbolism. Echoing a measure that Congress passed just days after the Sept. 11 attacks, it carries significant legal and public policy implications for Mr. Bush, and potentially his successor, to claim the imprimatur of Congress to use the tools of war, including detention, interrogation and surveillance, against the enemy, legal and political analysts say.

Tags: bush, bush administration, war, government, legal

Biden vocal, consistent Gitmo opponent

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 04:28:34 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: "[The Bush administration] has destroyed faith in America's judgment. And it has devalued America's moral leadership in the world. Instead, this administration has focused to the point of obsession on the so-called "war on terrorism" and produced a one-size-fits-all doctrine of military preemption and regime change ill suited to the challenges we face. It has made fear the main driver of our foreign policy. It has turned a deadly serious but manageable threat -- a small number of radical groups that hate America -- into a ten-foot tall existential monster that dictates nearly every move we make. Even if you look at the world through this administration's distorted lens, you see a failed policy."

Clip Source: www.alternet.org

Sen. Biden has been unstinting in his opposition to the prison at Guantánamo Bay. In June 2005, he called for Guantánamo to be closed, telling ABC News that it had "become the greatest propaganda tool that exists for recruiting of terrorists around the world."

Clip Source: www.alternet.org

also voted against the much-criticized Military Commissions Act of 2006, which reintroduced military trials at Guantánamo after they were declared illegal by the US Supreme Court, and in May 2007 he co-sponsored the Guantánamo Bay Detention Facility Closure Act, which not only called for the closure of Guantánamo, but also proposed moving prisoners against whom a case could be built to the maximum security military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and releasing all those who had not been charged. In July 2007, he followed this with proposals for a National Security with Justice Act, which sought to "prohibit extraterritorial detention and rendition

Tags: biden

Grumpy Old Men '08

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:47:53 GMT

clipped by: lap322
clipper's remarks: What could be more fun?

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Joe Lieberman is being vetted as a Vice Presidential running mate for John McCain, and it seems to be an option that McCain is seriously considering.

Obviously, I have an elaborate nightmare where Joe Lieberman gets the VP nod, McCain wins, then dies -- and we're looking at a President Lieberman. At which point I and a host of others bloggers who supported Ned Lamont wind up in Guantanamo Bay.

McCain announces his VP choice in Ohio the day after Obama's Invesco speech. My showbiz gene says he announces that his choice is Lieberman, the media goes bananas over the narrative of Joe being the Democratic candidate in 2000 and the Republican choice in 2008, and just as Obama puts the gloves on, McCain steals his bipartisan thunder. And more importantly, his convention bounce.

Yes he needs the fundies, but John McCain is a media creature and the temptation for all that hot monkey press love is just too juicy.

You too can have a much fun as detainee !

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:38:36 GMT

clipped by: jt3600
clipper's remarks: Welcome everyone to "A Splash of excitement" B & C Admin.amusement park ,formally under the Republican House committee building , now open in Coney Island ! the other both is a "Hunting Game" called "SHOOT THEIR FACE OFF" and you'll need to beat "CHENNEY'S" high score !

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

Waterboarding an attraction at amusement park

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A man with a black hood pours water on the face of a prisoner in an orange jumpsuit strapped to a table: no, it's not Guantanamo Bay naval base, but New York's Coney Island amusement park.

Hamdan gets 66 months, 61 already served

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:26:52 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: If Bush lets him go when his sentence is over (and that is a very big "if"), this particular case will be more just than I had dared hope.
Now what of the hundreds uncharged?

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

GUANTÁNAMO BAY, Cuba — Salim Ahmed Hamdan, the convicted former driver for Osama bin Laden, was sentenced Thursday to 66 months in prison by the military panel that convicted him of a war crime Wednesday.

The military judge, Capt. Keith J. Allred of the Navy, had already said that he planned to give Mr. Hamdan credit for the 61 months he had been held, meaning that Mr. Hamdan could complete his criminal sentence in five months. After that his fate is unclear, because the Bush administration says that it can hold detainees here until the end of the war on terror.

prosecutors recommended a sentence of at least 30 years and said life may be appropriate.

“I would like to apologize one more time to all the members. And I would like to thank you for what you have done for me.”

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

“Mr. Hamdan,” Judge Allred said, “I hope the day comes that you are able to return to your wife and daughters and your country.”

“God willing,” Mr. Hamdan said

“Insh-allah,” said Judge Allred

cooperated with interrogators

Tags: gitmo, war on terror

US Recorded Scores of Gitmo Interrogations

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:50:21 GMT

clipped by: RaiseClip
clipper's remarks: I mean - come on - is anyone surprised? Considering that this man and everyone around him are the number one criminals in the world, this latest lie is just another drop in the cesspool.

Clip Source: www.democracynow.org

US Recorded Scores of Gitmo Interrogations

The Washington Post has revealed the Bush administration could likely possess thousands of hours of secretly recorded conversations between Guantanamo Bay prisoners and officials from their home countries. Newly disclosed documents show the US told all visiting foreign delegations their meetings would be recorded. The White House has long refused to acknowledge existence of any recordings. It finally confirmed holding one tape of Canadian officials interrogating the Guantanamo prisoner Omar Khadr after the Canadian Supreme Court ordered the release of the tapes.

An Anerican flag made with handprints

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:26:42 GMT

clipped by: golagha
clipper's remarks: An Anerican flag made with handprints is displayed in a hangar at the US Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Split Verdict at GTMO

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:32:23 GMT

clipped by: klippety
clipper's remarks: Only with lots of handicaps could the prosecution get a split verdict. Had he had a fair trial, which seems impossible at this time, perhaps he would be charged as an accessory and would have to be released because he already served quite some time.
I am against all forms of terrorism, but changing lug nuts for OBL?

Clip Source: www.commondreams.org

‘Split Verdict’ Reached At Guantanamo Tribunal

US NAVAL BASE AT GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - Military jurors on Wednesday found Osama bin Laden’s former driver guilty of providing material support to terrorism in the first US war crimes trial since World War II.

But the jury found Salim Hamdan not guilty on a count of conspiracy, in the first case before the special tribunals created by President George W. Bush to try suspects in the “war on terror.”

He faced a possible maximum sentence of life in prison.

But Hamdan’s lawyers, who have already announced they will appeal, argued that although he served as bin Laden’s driver, Hamdan was not implicated in any terrorist activity.

Human Rights Watch slammed the proceedings as marred by irregularities and built-in handicaps, making it all but impossible for Hamdan to get a fair hearing.

“A trial that depends on handicapping the defense can’t possibly be fair,” said Jennifer Daskal, senior counterterrorism counsel at Human Rights Watch.

Ben Ladens Driver

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:06:42 GMT

clipped by: Packrat61
clipper's remarks: Read the whole article and let me know what you think. I am not sure this man deserves a life sentence or not. How about 15 years?

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

Military jury convicts bin Laden's driver

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - A jury of six military officers at Guantanamo Bay reached a split verdict Wednesday in the war crimes trial of a former driver for Osama bin Laden, clearing him of some charges but convicting him of others that could send him to prison for life.

"I don't know if the panel can render fair what has already happened," Mizer told reporters as the jury deliberated.

Hamdan's attorneys said the judge allowed evidence that would not have been admitted by any civilian or military U.S. court, and that interrogations at the center of the government's case were tainted by coercive tactics, including sleep deprivation and solitary confinement.

The military accused him of transporting missiles for al-Qaida and helping bin Laden escape U.S. retribution following the Sept. 11 attacks by driving him around Afghanistan. Defense attorneys said he was merely a low-level bin Laden employee.

Tags: military

Gitmo Acquittals May not Result in Release

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 02:52:50 GMT

clipped by: Wisco
clipper's remarks: So, even if they're found innocent, they stay in prison. Kind of makes this whole military tribunal thing just a series of pointless show trials, doesn't it?

Clip Source: rawstory.com

Some detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba will likely never be released because of the danger they pose, and those tried and acquitted will still be subject to continued detention as enemy combatants, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday.

Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary, made the remarks as Salim Hamdan, a Yemeni, awaited a verdict in the first war crimes trial to be held under a special regime created for "war on terror" suspects.

He said efforts were being made to reduce the size of the population through transfers of prisoners to their home countries for incarceration or release.

"But I think, you know, there are still a significant population within Guantanamo who will likely never be released because of the threat they pose to the world, for that matter," he said.

Tags: news

U.S. Military Frees 10,000 Detainees in Iraq

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:25:19 GMT

clipped by: cptenaud
clipper's remarks: Detainees are sometimes released for political purposes. For instance, the recent amnesty law which released thousands of suspected insurgents in an effort to bring certain Sunni groups back into the government. They are also released when it is determined they held no intelligence value, or posed no threat. In Iraq, the average time of detention is just under one year.

Of those now in detention, 12 are women, more than 300 are juveniles, 200 are third country nationals and about 200 are over the age of 60, the US military statement said.

Clip Source: www.vetvoice.com

by: Chris LeJeune

Mon Aug 04, 2008

The issue of detainee release is still a difficult subject, bot in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay. However, unlike Guantanamo Bay where the greater majority of the detainees were not captured by US forces, almost all of the detainees in Iraq were swept up either by US forces, or by Iraqis working in conjunction with the US military. This is one of the main reasons why detainee release is a difficult subject.

The US military said on Saturday it has freed more than 10,000 people from its two detention centres in Iraq so far this year -- more than the 8,900 released the during the whole of 2007.
A military statement said there are currently around 21,000 detainees in the two centres -- Camp Cropper near Baghdad's airport and Camp Bucca near the southern oil city of Basra.

"You don't understand al Qaeda," 9/11 plotter says

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 04:32:42 GMT

clipped by: mugofcoffee
clipper's remarks: not interested...

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

By Jane Sutton

GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - The accused mastermind of the September 11 attacks told a U.S. war crimes court at Guantanamo on Friday that Osama bin Laden's driver had no role in al Qaeda attacks and was unfit to carry them out.

Anyone who thought all bin Laden's associates were involved in his plots "is a fool and does not understand al Qaeda," Khalid Sheikh Mohammed said in written comments submitted as defense evidence in the trial of Yemeni prisoner Salim Hamdan.

Hamdan acknowledges he drove for bin Laden in Afghanistan for $200 a month but denies joining al Qaeda or participating in its attacks. He faces life in prison if convicted on charges of conspiring with al Qaeda and providing material support for terrorism.

Mohammed, the highest-ranking al Qaeda figure in U.S. custody, is also imprisoned at Guantanamo awaiting trial and potential execution on charges of plotting the September 11 hijacked plane attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.

My Country, Tis Of Thee, Sweet Land Of Liberty

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:02:00 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: Long before the Hamdan trial, we already knew that we were offered bin Laden in transit from Sudan to Afghanistan. But we did not want him. Our lawyers had no battle, our leaders no mettle.

Most of us, though not all, have learned nothing. After thousands smote and seven years of war, we are back to our superior ways, demanding Habeas Corpus and noting in the very first trial that bin Laden’s deputy was read no Miranda rights upon his capture - or was it arrest?

They say history repeats itself. Never before has it applied so swiftly, within the same generation and within the same conflict. A selfish society incapable of sacrifice is equally incapable of self-defense. Our greatest concern is not the pursuit of madmen or the states which feed them. It is not even the cost of oil and its affect on our economy and future.

Clip Source: threatswatch.org

In the Hamdan trial at Guantanamo Bay, we learn that bin Laden’s driver, captured and now on trial, said in interrogation that the United States could have killed bin Laden on more than one occasion in the 1990’s. The context is a far greater reflection upon us than our enemies.

The message was, ”You had these opportunities, America. You didn’t do anything,” FBI agent George Crouch Jr. testified Friday at Salim Hamdan’s war crimes trial.
The United States could have killed bin Laden in Khartoum, Sudan, before he moved to Afghanistan in 1996, Hamdan told his interrogators. They could have killed him after al Qaida’s 1998 twin bombings at the U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. Or after the October 2000 suicide bombing of the USS Cole, at the port of Aden in Yemen, which left 17 U.S. sailors dead.
Instead, ”Bin Laden was emboldened.” So he struck with the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, leaving nearly 3,000 dead.

It is ‘news’ simply because of the source and the setting.

No more, no less

Tags: bin-laden, hamdan trial, sudan, afghanistan, kenya and tanzania bombings, port of aden, uss cole