military commissions

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Military Judge Allows Info Obtained During Torture

Law expert says it's a break with rules set by Congress

(Newser) - When Congress laid out rules for military tribunals, it decreed that "no statement obtained by the use of torture or by cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, whether or not under color of law, shall be admissible in a military commission." But in what may be a first, a...

Military Court Less Likely to Sentence KSM to Death

Military hasn't executed anyone in 50 years

(Newser) - Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is dying to be executed. He’s confessed to plotting the 9/11 attacks and a host of other terrorist activity, and said he’d like to be a martyr. But that’s significantly less likely to happen now that he’ll be tried by a military commission,...

Cowardice Wins In Khalid Sheikh Mohammad Trial

Spineless Obama, pandering congress to blame

(Newser) - Eric Holder’s decision to try 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammad in a military tribunal is “a victory for Congressional pandering and an embarrassment for the Obama administration, which failed to stand up to it,” the New York Times declares in a scathing editorial today. The administration’s...

9/11 Mastermind Gets Gitmo Military Trial

Obama turns back on pledge to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammad in civilian court

(Newser) - Khalid Sheikh Mohammad will be tried by a military commission at Guantanamo Bay, rather than the civilian court President Obama has long advocated, sources tell CBS News . Eric Holder will announce this new plan soon. Previously, Holder had put forward a plan to try the confessed 9/11 mastermind in New...

Detainees, Once Acquitted, May Still Die at Gitmo

Like Bush, Obama administration argues for indefinite detention

(Newser) - Detainees held at Guantanamo Bay and other military prisons may not be freed even if a US commission acquits them of all charges, an Obama administration official testified yesterday. The Defense Department rep told a Senate committee that detainees would be assessed on an individual basis and that prisoners might...

Obama: Gitmo Made Us Less Safe

(Newser) - Standing in front of the Constitution, President Obama today delivered a watershed speech on terrorism, arguing that President Bush’s approach to war was, “quite simply, a mess.” He outlined his plan to clean up, saying he’ll try Guantanamo detainees in both federal court and military commissions...

Easy to Find Middle Ground on Gitmo: Klein
Easy to Find Middle Ground on Gitmo: Klein
OPINION
May 21, 2009 10:20 AM CDT

Easy to Find Middle Ground on Gitmo: Klein

Military courts wouldn't allow torture evidence, get civilian review

(Newser) - Lawyers and soldiers are divided on how to deal with enemy combatants, but “it shouldn’t be too hard to find a middle ground,” writes Joe Klein in Time, because both arguments “are being made by unappealing extremists.” It’s unrealistic to try detainees in open...

Obama May Bring Back Military Terror Courts

(Newser) - Barack Obama is leaning towards reinstituting military commissions as a way of trying Guantanamo detainees, and could begin publicly doing so as soon as next week, officials tell the New York Times. Obama has been a staunch critic of the system, but the administration is increasingly worried about the hazards...

Guantanamo Only Looks Like a Real Trial
Guantanamo Only Looks Like a Real Trial
analysis
Jul 29, 2008 7:41 AM CDT

Guantanamo Only Looks Like a Real Trial

Beneath surface lie fundamental questions about its fairness

(Newser) - The first trial taking place at Guantanamo Bay has the look and feel of a real American court proceeding, but that appearance is in many ways just an illusion, writes William Glaberson in the New York Times. Secret evidence remains sealed in red folders, much of what is presented was...

Historic Terror Trial Starts Today
Historic
Terror Trial Starts Today
Jul 21, 2008 2:42 AM CDT

Historic Terror Trial Starts Today

Bin Laden driver faces first US war crimes tribunal since WWII

(Newser) - The trial of Osama bin Laden's  former driver is set to begin at Guantanamo Bay today. Salim Hamdan, accused of transporting weapons, will be tried by the first military commission since the end of World War II, reports the Washington Post.The proceedings promise to be the first big test...

Fierce Military Lawyers Take On Gitmo Fight

Defense attorneys wage tough battles for terror suspect clients

(Newser) - Military lawyers appointed to represent Guantanamo prisoners have been fighting in their clients' corner with unexpected fierceness, the New York Times reports. The lawyers have infuriated prosecutors by challenging the administration's war crimes system and demanding rights for their clients. One of them describes the task as a "historic...

Judge Purges General From Gitmo Case
Judge Purges General From Gitmo Case
May 10, 2008 12:10 PM CDT

Judge Purges General From Gitmo Case

Says he's not impartial; move could throw wrench in 9/11 trials

(Newser) - A military judge has expelled a Pentagon general from the case of a Guantanamo detainee in a move that could open the military tribunal system to further attacks. The judge said the general—who is supposed to be impartial as overseer of the Gitmo legal process—worked too closely with...

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