Sun Sets On Gitmo Trials As Election Nears

Barack Obama, John McCain Have Both Pledged To Close Offshore Prison

(AP)  Camp Justice, erected six months ago for the first U.S. war-crimes trials in a half-century, already feels like a ghost town.

A hundred canvas tents pitched on a weed-choked airfield to house an army of lawyers and journalists stand mostly empty, even as air conditioning blasts through them to keep iguanas and large rodents at bay.

Only three reporters showed up this week for the trial of Osama bin Laden's alleged communications specialist, in contrast to the dozens who attended earlier hearings.

With the clock running out on the Bush administration, so too is it ticking for America's six-year attempt to try what it called "the worst of the worst" for crimes of war.

"It is getting quiet here," lamented Kiplin Rall, a Jamaican managing a small convenience store in a rusting hangar at Camp Justice.

Barack Obama and John McCain have both pledged, if elected, to close the offshore prison at Guantanamo Bay. Amnesty International Secretary-General Irene Khan this week urged whoever wins to make good on that promise in his first 100 days in office.

The current trial, which charges Ali Hamza al-Bahlul with being bin Laden's media specialist, is only the second held since then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld outlined the initial rules in March 2002.

Only one more is scheduled before Bush's term ends on Jan. 20: a relatively minor case that charges an Afghan with wounding two U.S. soldiers and their interpreter when he was 16 or 17 in 2002. A judge threw out his confession this week because it was obtained through torture.

In all, 255 men are being held at Guantanamo, the great majority without charges. Army Col. Lawrence Morris, Guantanamo's chief prosecutor, said two dozen cases are at various stages, with another dozen or so moving toward charges.

But Morris' predecessor, retired Air Force Col. Morris Davis, said those cases will likely never be brought forward as war-crimes trials, known as military commissions, at Guantanamo Bay. He said trials could conceivably be held elsewhere, but the system would need to be fundamentally changed for that to happen.

"Whoever wins next week should ask the Bush administration to suspend the military commissions since the winner inherits all the mess that piles up from now until inauguration day," said Davis, who quit last year complaining of political interference.

The Pentagon declined to comment on the future of the trials. A spokesman, Navy Cmdr. Jeffrey Gordon, instead referred to a statement he made last summer, when he said the U.S. is trying to decrease Guantanamo's prison population and doesn't want to be the world's jailer.

The heyday for journalists seems to be history. Only months ago, the military periodically flew dozens of print reporters, TV crews, pool photographers and sketch artists to Guantanamo Bay from Andrews Air Force Base near Washington.

Once they landed in the arid heat, they were met by soldiers who shepherded them in buses and a boat across the bay to a press room to watch court proceedings on a big-screen TV. Military public affairs officers stood by to answer questions.

At night, the journalists were ferried back across the bay to their Combined Bachelor Quarters, where they shared drinks and conversation before falling into bed.

These days, the military press liaisons outnumber the journalists. Only reporters from AP, Reuters and The Miami Herald were present for this week's trial.

The reporters don't stay across the bay during the hearings anymore. Now, they sleep in tents erected on a cracked, abandoned airstrip near the two courthouses. Camp Justice has roughly 100 tents, each with six beds. Thrumming generators that provide power for the vacant tents drown out the insects and birds.

Overhead, turkey vultures soar on thermal updrafts, as if waiting for the whole affair to roll over, legs up.

[downsteamjim]

We should help out these nice lovable guys. The U.S. should find nice liberal people they can stay with and pay their tuition to Harvard, Berkley, etc. Everyone involved would get quite an eduction.

[notfooled]

Yes, I can hear the kangaroos howling that the only terrorists who didnt get to see inside these cells are still in the white house.

[hermitdave]

They should pick 12 innocent men held at Gitmo for a jury in the criminal war crime trial of Bush and Cheney and Rummy.

[violist47]

Reading "Faith of My Fathers", McCain''s moving tale of being a POW in North Vietnam, I kept wondering what kinds of books the prisoners at Gitmo would bring out. Tales of heroism under torture? Tales of the infamy of America? McCain was - and is - a brave man. Even he wants to close Guantanamo. It''s been one of the many, many filthy stains on our country since Bush took office.

[speedy1010]

thelastvoter- what is wrong with socialism? It dosent seem the the capitalistic policies of the US are working. Besides, a bailout to the banks, the proposal for a 10-15 billion dollar bailout for GM - thats not government socialism at its best/worst? Your national debt grew 500 billion in sept alone. 12 trillion dollar debt over all. Who keeps lending the US this money. Are you guys going to become a sharecropper nation for china?

[speedy1010]

Why hasnt the United Nations either stopped these trials or ensured the legitimacy of such trials. Could you imagine if an american was placed in a jail overseas with no official charges and kept in that jail for over 6 years? The Un would be all over that country. Why? Because the US contributes one of the largest amounts annually to the Un. These trials are wrong. These detainies-prisoners deserve to be charged and tried on American soil. If you cant do that then send them home.

[impeach__w]

Only one more is scheduled before Bush''s term ends on Jan. 20: a relatively minor case that charges an Afghan with wounding two U.S. soldiers and their interpreter when he was 16 or 17 in 2002. A judge threw out his confession this week because it was obtained through torture.

America does not torture...officially.

I wonder who did, who ordered it, arranged it, approved it, knew about it, watched it.

We have a right to know!

[ajmarine111]

If you cant do that then send them home.


Posted by speedy1010 at 07:46 AM : Nov 02, 2008



I heard, for many, their countries don''t want them back.

[impeach__w]

Let us try to make a logical decision here...
We have an outgoing administration that allegedly commited "actual" war crimes and mitreatment of prisoners AND an un-used Secure courtroom costing us millions.

Can''t we just send Bush and Co. there? Even if they are aquitted,
We don''t want them back either!

[impeach__w]

Only one more is scheduled before Bush''''s term ends on Jan. 20: a relatively minor case that charges an Afghan with wounding two U.S. soldiers and their interpreter when he was 16 or 17 in 2002. A judge threw out his confession this week because it was obtained through torture.

America does not torture...officially.

I wonder who did, who ordered it, arranged it, approved it, knew about it, watched it.

We have a right to know!

[dibs977]

Obama is a great man and a Christian and he can lead us back to sanity and safety

[ajmarine111]

I heard, for many, their countries don''''''''t want them back.



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Posted by AJMarine111 at 10:54 AM : Nov 02, 2008

Or their buddies will kill them for talking.....




Posted by hillaryin012 at 12:27 PM : Nov 02, 2008



I would say "will then, we could offer them US citizenship and let them live here", but they would probably rather kill all us as to live here.

[impeach__w]

Iv''e already posted we should move the chinese ones - help me with the spelling uhieghers into cheneys neighborhood and the crawford ranch. It''s already secured.

[impeach__w]

Posted by hillaryin012
I heard all the libs are going to sponsor them in the US? Are you one of them?

I am republican voting for he guy that will ban all my guns but could let Bush/Cheneny/Rummy (but not powell?) go on trial. You are an idiot if you think Hillary is the answer to any of these (or any) problems.

[guadalcanal3]

Well...soon we won''t have a prison to keep all of these "People who want to destroy America"...so...I guess we''ll have give them a one-way ticket to Allah..instead.(much more efficient.)

[hermitdave]

HEY CBS--how about some coverage of what Americans are doing with female prisoners in Iraq. Things like holding them without charges. I hope Americans are ready for the new "we don''t need no stinkin charges" policy in this country.

[ndjam]

Iran MUST FREE Ayatollah Sayyid Hossein Kazemeini Boroujerdi. This great man has been imprisoned and tortured for 2 years now in the disgusting nation of Iran. EVERYONE on here, write a letter to the Human Rights Watch and to Amnesty International right now and demand for this mans release. This must be done quickly, Ayatollah Sayyid Hossein Kazemeini Boroujerdi is in terrible health due to the violent and brutal torture that he is recieving in Iran. WRITE NOW AND DEMAND FOR HIS RELEASE.

[wogerwabbit]

I propose we take the entire Bush administration and house them at Guantanamo once it''s emptied out and let them linger there for several years until their plight generates the well deserved outrage that their treatment of the current inhabitants has done (unless you think holding innocent people without recourse to trial for 5 or 6 years is cool). I don''t care who you are, in America we treat all people as equal under the law and the holiness of that concept is what has made America great and there are no exceptions and no excuses. We have through our founders wisdom, three equal branches of government and I believe in their concepts enough to want to keep it that way. Our great experiment in democracy is being tested like it never has before in our history. We have a vast number of snivelling cowards willing to sell out our hard won freedoms for a paranoid perception of security provided by the war profiteers who are emptying our treasury by the truckload as we speak. If you hate this division and the nightmare of a craven America afraid of it''s own shadow presented by the republicans as their politcal platform, do the world a favor, vote Obama/Biden and end this madness and send these devils to hell where they belong. Amen.

[impeach__w]

WogerWabbit, Would we have to land the plane or could we just drop them out of the back?

[impeach__w]

Only one more is scheduled before Bush''''''''s term ends on Jan. 20: a relatively minor case that charges an Afghan with wounding two U.S. soldiers and their interpreter when he was 16 or 17 in 2002. A judge threw out his confession this week because it was obtained through torture.

America does not torture...officially.

I wonder who did, who ordered it, arranged it, approved it, knew about it, watched it.

We have a right to know!

Let us try to make a logical decision here...
We have an outgoing administration that allegedly commited "actual" war crimes and mitreatment of prisoners AND an un-used Secure courtroom costing us millions.

Can''t we just send Bush and Co. there? Even if they are aquitted,
We don''t want them back either!