Blackwater’s CIA Connection

Staff / Truthdig Dec 11, 2009 Reports are coming out that mercenaries from Blackwater Worldwide played central roles in some of the CIA’s most sensitive missions, including clandestine raids and the transport of detainees. Many guards claimed that Blackwater's participation was so routine that the lines between military and contractor were blurred. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Gitmo Prisoners’ New Digs?

Staff / Truthdig Dec 6, 2009 A deal is being brokered that would probably make a state prison in rural Illinois the new home of detainees now held at the prison in Guantanamo Bay. Republicans have voiced outrage at the prospect of bringing the detainees Stateside, citing security threats. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Washington Plays the Idiot With Guantanamo

Marie Cocco / Truthdig Sep 29, 2009 With the arrest of Najbullah Zazi, the man allegedly behind the biggest terror plot since 9/11, the truth is clearer than ever: Law enforcement stops terrorism Not secret island prisonsWith the arrest of Najbullah Zazi, the truth is clearer than ever: Law enforcement stops terrorism. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Guantanamo 2

Staff / Truthdig Aug 3, 2009 President Obama has ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed by January 2010. To meet that deadline, the administration may push for a new detention facility on U.S. soil. Such a compound, sources tell AP, would include space for the indefinite detention of prisoners deemed too dangerous to face trial. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

U.S. to Set Gitmo Inmate Free in a Case Called an ‘Outrage’

Staff / Truthdig Jul 30, 2009 Although a judge had called the case "an outrage" that was "riddled with holes," just last week the government said it would continue to try to prosecute Mohammed Jawad, a Guantanamo detainee whose "confession" was reportedly obtained through torture. Now the administration plans to free Jawad and return him to Afghanistan. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Iran Says 140 Protesters Have Been Freed

Staff / Truthdig Jul 28, 2009 Iranian officials announced that 140 detainees have been released from prison in Tehran, while some 200 are still being held. But the numbers announced by authorities and those given by protest leaders differ significantly. According to the latter, thousands are still being held and about 100 people have been killed during the election protests. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Extreme Makeover: Bagram Prison Edition

Staff / Truthdig Jul 20, 2009 The New York Times reports that a U.S. military review calls for "overhauling the troubled American-run prison [at Bagram Air Base] as well as the entire Afghan jail and judicial systems, a reaction to worries that abuses and militant recruiting within the prisons are helping to strengthen the Taliban." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

More Ex-Detainees Allege Abuse

Staff / Truthdig Jun 24, 2009 More than two dozen former detainees at the Bagram military base in Afghanistan say they were beaten, deprived of sleep and threatened with dogs while under U.S. supervision there between 2002 and 2008. None of the detainees were ever charged, and some got apologies upon release. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Guantanamo Detainee Arrives in the U.S.

Staff / Truthdig Jun 9, 2009 The first Guantanamo detainee to be tried in a US civilian court arrived in New York on Tuesday Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani faces charges for his alleged role in the 1998 U embassy bombings in East Africa His trial will serve as an important test for plans to try other terror suspects in civilian courts, at a time when some critics contend that such transfers will endanger U security . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Gitmo Evidence to Be Made Public

Staff / Truthdig Jun 2, 2009 On Tuesday, federal Judge Thomas Hogan ordered that the evidence regarding more than 100 Guantanamo Bay detainees be made public, rejecting the U.S. government's request to keep the unclassified information secret. These sealed documents may reveal the government's justification (or lack thereof) for the prisoners' continued detention. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Pentagon Denies That Prison Photos Depict Rape

Staff / Truthdig May 29, 2009 The Pentagon has denied claims made by a former U.S. general that the detainee abuse photos President Obama refuses to publish depict scenes of rape and torture. The rebuttal came only hours after Britain's Daily Telegraph published retired Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba's story. "That news organization has completely mischaracterized the images," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told the press Thursday. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Obama’s Guantanamo Appeasement Plan

Marjorie Cohn / Truthdig May 26, 2009 Two days after his inauguration, President Obama pledged to close Guantanamo within one year. The Republicans, led by Sens. John McCain, Mitch McConnell and Pat Roberts, immediately launched a concerted campaign to assail the new president. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )