5 Guantanamo Detainees Ordered Freed

Staff / Truthdig Nov 22, 2008 In yet another decision that chips away at the Bush administration's withering theory of executive dominance, a federal judge ruled Thursday that the evidence presented against five Algerians -- who have been in U.S. custody since 2001 -- was insufficient, freeing the detainees from the bowels of the prison at Guantanamo. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bush Memos OK’d CIA Torture

Staff / Truthdig Oct 15, 2008 Two recently disclosed memos from 2003 and 2004 show the Bush administration giving CIA torture techniques, most famously waterboarding, an explicit executive nod after worries arose in the intelligence community about the legality of the treatment of detainees. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Jonathan Shapiro on the Hamdan Case

BLANK Aug 29, 2008 In Jonathan Mahler's new book, George W. Bush emerges as the most lawless president in American history, the first to usurp the law as a matter of policy. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

Hamdan Sentence Is a Snub to Prosecution

Staff / Truthdig Aug 8, 2008 Salim Hamdan, Osama bin Laden's former driver, has been sentenced by a military jury to five and a half years in prison -- most of which he's already served in detention. The prosecution wanted his sentence to be 30 years or longer, but it needn't be too upset: The military has said it can hold Hamdan indefinitely if it feels like it. Hamdan's lawyers are expected to appeal. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Courting Disaster

Mark Fiore / Truthdig Jun 27, 2008 Dig deeper

A Government of Law, Not Fear

Stanley Kutler / Truthdig Jun 19, 2008 John McCain and Barack Obama's differences over the Supreme Court's recent Guantanamo decision speak volumes about the two candidates and their competing visions for America. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Senators Fume Over Torture Revelations

Staff / Truthdig Jun 18, 2008 With statements such as "if the detainee dies, you're doing it wrong" guiding our government's thinking during the formation and implementation of interrogation techniques, it's no wonder Carl Levin and others were outraged in the Senate on Tuesday. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Impatient Justice

Marie Cocco / Truthdig Jun 17, 2008 The forceful language of Justice Anthony M. Kennedy's decision in the case granting detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp the right to contest their confinement in federal court is the voice of a Supreme Court majority that is fed up. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Supreme Court Deals a Body Blow to Guantanamo

Staff / Truthdig Jun 13, 2008 The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, ruled Thursday that detainees at Guantanamo Bay have a right to trial in civilian courts. As Justice Anthony Kennedy of the majority wrote, "The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times." It has been widely speculated that such a ruling would ultimately force the closure of the detention facility. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Gitmo Lawyer Alleges Torture Evidence Destruction

Staff / Truthdig Jun 9, 2008 A military lawyer for a Guantanamo detainee says it was standard operating procedure to destroy evidence of torture (or harsh interrogation techniques, as some call it) in order to "minimize certain legal issues." Lt. Cmdr. William Kuebler is concerned that, because of the policy, he will not be able to challenge the alleged confessions of his client, who was detained at the age of 15. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Face of Torture

Marie Cocco / Truthdig May 15, 2008 Seven years after the 9/11 attacks, if we were to seek a portrait that is emblematic of the way the U.S. has tried -- and failed -- to bring those responsible for the heinous plot to justice, we would have to produce a photograph of Mohammed al-Qahtani. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

U.S. Releases Journalist After 6 Years

Staff / Truthdig May 2, 2008 Sami al-Haj, a cameraman for Al-Jazeera, was released Thursday evening after spending almost seven years in U.S. custody, six of those as an inmate at Guantanamo Bay. Haj was never charged with any crime, nor was any evidence against him ever revealed. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )