The Nation: Gitmo Trials Are Reported Rigged
Posted on Feb 21, 2008
It’s unfortunately not unusual anymore to hear about the politicization of American legal and intelligence institutions under the Bush administration, but, even so, this report by The Nation’s Ross Tuttle about how the trials of six key prisoners at Guantanamo Bay have allegedly been rigged from the get-go is disturbing.
The Nation:
Now, as the murky, quasi-legal staging of the Bush Administration’s military commissions unfolds, a key official has told The Nation that the trials have been rigged from the start. According to Col. Morris Davis, former chief prosecutor for Guantánamo’s military commissions, the process has been manipulated by Administration appointees to foreclose the possibility of acquittal.
Colonel Davis’s criticism of the commissions has been escalating since he resigned in October, telling the Washington Post that he had been pressured by politically appointed senior Defense officials to pursue cases deemed “sexy” and of “high interest” (such as the 9/11 cases now being pursued) in the run-up to the 2008 elections. Davis, once a staunch defender of the commissions process, elaborated on his reasons in a December 10, 2007, Los Angeles Times op-ed. “I concluded that full, fair and open trials were not possible under the current system,” he wrote. “I felt that the system had become deeply politicized and that I could no longer do my job effectively.”
Then, in an interview with The Nation in February after the six Guantánamo detainees were charged, Davis offered the most damning evidence of the military commissions’ bias—a revelation that speaks to fundamental flaws in the Bush Administration’s conduct of statecraft: its contempt for the rule of law and its pursuit of political objectives above all else.
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Update: Col. Morris Davis has told the Associated Press that he would be willing to testify on behalf of the defense in an upcoming trial:
AP via My Way News:
In a stunning turnaround, the former chief military prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay said Thursday he would be a defense witness for the driver of Osama bin Laden.
Air Force Col. Morris Davis, who resigned in October over alleged political interference in the U.S. military tribunals, told The Associated Press he will appear at a hearing for Salim Ahmed Hamdan.
“I expect to be called as a witness ... I’m more than happy to testify,” Davis said in a telephone interview from Washington. He called it “an opportunity to tell the truth.”
At the April pretrial hearing inside the U.S. military base in southeast Cuba, Hamdan’s defense team plans to argue that alleged political interference cited by Davis violates the Military Commissions Act, Hamdan’s military lawyer, Navy Lt. Brian Mizer, told the AP.
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By PatrickHenry, February 24, 2008 at 9:17 pm #
Very good source.
Thanks
Report thisBy DennisD, February 24, 2008 at 1:18 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
“The Nations Ross Tuttle about how the trials of six key prisoners at Guantanamo Bay have allegedly been rigged from the get-go is disturbing.”
To think that something connected with this administration hasn’t been “rigged” would be naive.
Anything and everything goes for the “war of terrorism”. You know, the war being fought against the American people.
Report thisBy cyrena, February 24, 2008 at 3:21 am #
Thanks for the article/link Outraged. It’s right on time. I don’t think I’d ever seen this web site either. At least I don’t remember if I did.
Anyway…it too, is excellent. Lots of good stuff here.
Much obliged.
Report thisBy lib in texas, February 24, 2008 at 12:44 am #
Forensic psychologist not psychiatrists.
Report thisBy rowdy, February 23, 2008 at 7:31 pm #
i’m queer and never wanted to breed. i think inbreeding is your major shortcoming.
Report thisBy Outraged, February 23, 2008 at 1:28 pm #
The “trials” are a farce. These kangaroo courts have been set up to cover up the crimes perpetrated by America against innocent victims conveniently labeled “terrorists”, common knowledge even to the most deluded among us.
Manuel Valenzuela has an excellent article at Dissident Voice, an excerpt:
“As such, having been conditioned through the corporatist medias ceaseless dehumanization propaganda to believe Arabs and Muslims sub-human enemies, having been manipulated into hating Americas new enemy and having the corporatist media erase Iraq and Afghanistan from the memory hole, the American people have developed a disturbing, almost criminal indifference for the millions of human beings dying, suffering or otherwise being affected by the Empires wars and occupations. To a vast majority of Americans, the malignant tumors that are Guantanamo, Bagram and Abu Ghraib, together with what they represent, are as hazy and as far removed from reality as last weeks episode of a favorite sitcom. These cesspools of immorality rarely, if ever, register in the beautiful minds of most Americans, only bothering the conscious when photos, video or whistleblowers surface to incriminate torturers, leaders and patsies. Only then are we forced to confront one of the myriad number of inconvenient truths the red, white and blue does across the globe.”
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/02/crusade-of-surge-and-siege-part-two/
Report thisBy PatrickHenry, February 23, 2008 at 1:13 pm #
What can you expect from a rigged administration placed into office by rigged voting machines and a rigged media.
So much for a quick and speedy trial.
Report thisBy PatrickHenry, February 23, 2008 at 1:09 pm #
Better yet, give them a home in the occupied west bank and give them some fireworks.
Report thisBy Leefeller, February 23, 2008 at 11:59 am #
It is nice to see a comprehensive list as a reminder.
Report thisLooking at most of the items they effectively separate the us from them. You must not forget that the Rule of Law is not used in any of the above, Congress has a their finger in the pie also.
By jackpine savage, February 23, 2008 at 11:00 am #
Show trials, not just for Stalinists anymore. Or maybe they are still for Stalinists…
Report thisBy jackpine savage, February 23, 2008 at 10:58 am #
Just out of curiosity, do you call yourself waxman because you still get in trouble from your mom for scribbling on the walls with your crayolas?
Report thisBy cyrena, February 23, 2008 at 3:37 am #
You’ve got a point Louise.
But, I like the ‘or not’ option better.
Rather than chipping in to send him to the specialist, (which would be a waste of money, because a cognizant thought process isn’t possible from waxman) I’d just as soon chip away at his skull, to get to that rotting nasty mess that represents his brain.
THEN, we send that out to the lab, where they can study in in depth, and report back to the forensic psychiatrists, who can prepare a report for whatever journal would be the most appropriate.
I think that’s a far more utilitarian and humanitarian way to handle it. That way, he will have contributed something to society and the advancement of science.
Otherwise, he’s just an asshole taking up air and space that somebody else is clearly more deserving of.
Still, thanks for the suggestion.
Report thisBy ocjim, February 23, 2008 at 3:30 am #
It is pathetic that we can’t trust our administration to do anything but play politics. Only when Bush is gone can we be proud again. Its pursuit and abuse of power for its own agenda—not the people’s—is its only guide.
Examples of Bush administration practices (Do the features sound familiar?)
1.Jingoism: promoting an unnecessary war in Iraq and demonizing opponents.
2.Curtailing rights: Use of fear of terrorism and propaganda to justify.
3.Identification of enemies (axis of evil) and scapegoats to unify: gays, Islamo-fascists.
4.Supremacy of the military / avid militarism.
5.A controlled mass media (corporate media).
6.Obsession with national security: secrecy, excuse for torture and curtailment of rights.
7.Religion and ruling elite tied together: Iraq a crusade.
8.Power of labor suppressed: marked decrease in unions.
9.Power of corporations protected: deregulation and tax breaks.
10.Disdain and suppression of intellectuals, science (global warming reports), and the arts.
11.Rampant cronyism: nice job, Brownie.
12.Obsession with crime and punishment.
13.Fraudulent elections Florida, Ohio.
14.Rampant sexism.
Propaganda and the media used to achieve the above.
Report thisBy lilmamzer, February 22, 2008 at 11:02 pm #
“lets try these people in a KKKristian court. then we can stone them to death in the time honored jewish/islamist style. better yet we can burn them in the good old KKKristian style.”
please don’t breed
Report thisBy felicity, February 22, 2008 at 8:09 pm #
fellow thugs live in mortal fear of an established International Criminal Court? Able to eliminate justice from the rulings of our courts, when and if their heinous acts become the business of the world justice will be done.
Report thisBy Louise, February 22, 2008 at 7:02 pm #
cyrena:
Regarding waxman. Rather than feed the rage, how about we all chip in to send him to see an otologist?
Who knows, a clean sweep through the channels might take some pressure off his brain, relieving a lot of pain and ultimately leading to a cognizant thought process.
Or not ...
In any case, your thoughts are far to valuable to let an unhappy troll muddy the waters. I say lets leave him under the bridge where he can swim in his own misery, and thump on the bank occasionally.
Report thisBy rowdy, February 22, 2008 at 4:34 pm #
let’s try these people in a KKKristian court. then we can stone them to death in the time honored jewish/islamist style. better yet we can burn them in the good old KKKristian style.
Report thisBy P. T., February 22, 2008 at 3:45 pm #
The AP article has a U.S. government spin to it—as most such AP articles do. What Davis says Haynes told him was that the inmates had to be convicted because they had been held for so long. In other words, the U.S. would have to explain why people who were not guilty had not been freed earlier. The AP article does not mention that.
Report thisBy Jim Yell, February 22, 2008 at 12:24 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
The most disturbing thing about the criminal abuse of our legal process by Bush/Cheney and their appointees is that not holding these people to account for their crimes will encourage politicians and the military to continue to lie and treat citizens concerns in a dismissive manner.
The only satisfaction we can hope for this as Bush/Cheney leave the scene of the crime without accountability or punishment, is in a Democratic win the new administration may well do to the Republicans what Republicans have done to the nation. The down side is there is nothing to stop all of them from using this tool of repression and oppression against us all and that is the reason that Bush/Cheney should stand criminal trials for breaking their oath of office and for disregarding the rule of law for their supporters enrichment and their pathetic egos.
Report thisBy Leefeller, February 22, 2008 at 11:21 am #
Rigging is what the Whitehouse is great at, no if you want to say they have common sense in Whitehouse, another story, a far fetched fantasy I would say.
Report thisBy waxman, February 22, 2008 at 7:01 am #
STILL TICKEN….....WOOF WOOF WOOF….
Report thisBy cyrena, February 22, 2008 at 4:48 am #
I already responded to you Waxman, on another thread.
I think though, that your own posts here are very numbered.
This could even be your last.
Report thisBy Benedicte, February 22, 2008 at 4:36 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
Can he legally does all what he wants, ignoring human rights commission?
Report thisBy Expat, February 22, 2008 at 3:57 am #
^ If he does and is found guilty of war crimes; will his driver be prosecuted?
Report thisBy waxman, February 22, 2008 at 1:26 am #
THIS IS SOMETHING CYRENA WILL BE WELL VERSED ON..SHE IS A DISTANT COUSIN OF CHENEY THROUGH A LOVE CHILD WITH OBAMA..LOVELY BOY I MIGHT ADD, BIG EARS AND ALL…WAITING TO HEAR FROM YOU CYRENA…
Report thisBy Ga, February 22, 2008 at 1:18 am #
the process has been manipulated by Administration appointees
This has been the problem all along. An arrogant, aggressive “junta” of people at the top—Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, et. al., inside government for decades—tried really hard to push their “Unitary Executive” doctrine. Once within the Administration they all started their coup by cronyism, loyalty-oaths, de-regulation, secrecy, spying, etc., all with a “frat boy” mentality.
They manipulated the press, the judiciary, the FDA, the FCC, the USDA, etc. And, unbelievably, they manipulated oh so many citizens with fear and nationalism.
Report this