Search: Nancy Talanian

The following blog has also been published on Common Dreams, the Huffington Post, and the Daily Hampshire Gazette (Massachusetts, subscription required).

When Guantánamo Bay prison will actually close is anyone’s guess, but the closing alone will not matter unless our country changes along with it and our government, going forward, affirms its commitment to human rights and the rule of law. As we near the ninth anniversary of Guantánamo Bay prison, we are constantly bombarded with signs that such a day is still far off. Here are a few culled from recent news:

The pre-trial hearing for the first Military Tribunal in Obama’s presidency began last week, following the delayed release of the new manual for Military Commissions.  The government’s justification for trying Omar Khadr by Military Commission is that, in its view, his alleged murder of a US soldier via a hand grenade was a violation of the law of war. According to Lt. Col. David Frakt, under the Military Commission rules, “A detainee may be convicted of murder in violation of the law of war even if they did not actually violate the law of war.”

Read this blog on Huffington Post and Common Dreams.

To hear the clamor for prosecuting Abdulmutallab, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and his alleged 9/11 co-conspirators by military commission, you might think commissions are better, cheaper, faster, and more appropriate than federal court trials and a sure-fire way to get stiff convictions.