Holder Says WikiLeaks’ Gitmo Documents Won’t Affect Prosecutions

Attorney General Eric Holder said Guantanamo documents recently released by WikiLeaks will not impact military tribunals for terror suspects. The documents reveal flaws in the U.S. detention program at the facility.

The Obama administration had initially moved to close Guantanamo and hold terror trials in civilian courts but now finds itself defending Bush administration methodology that has been carried over. The more than 700 WikiLeaks documents tell of at least 160 “high risk” prisoners who may have been released erroneously, as well as a number who were wrongfully imprisoned. — KDG

Reuters:

Holder said his decision to shift the September 11 defendants back to military tribunals will not have any impact on prosecuting future terrorism cases in U.S. courts.

Besides the defendants accused in the September 11 attacks, a number of other Guantanamo prisoners are expected to be tried in military tribunals.

The documents made available by WikiLeaks were largely silent about the use of the harsh interrogation tactics at Guantanamo that have drawn widespread condemnation and have created problems in prosecuting some cases.

Holder said the administration could not release its assessments of the Guantanamo prisoners because they were partly based on a wide range of sources, some classified, and to take that out would give incomplete information.

But lawyers for the Guantanamo prisoners will likely use the WikiLeaks documents to defend their clients.

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