Two More Guantanamo Prisoners Get Lawyers

A step in the right direction:

The military has assigned attorneys to represent two more
prisoners being held at the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who
were captured during the war on al-Qaida and the Taliban, the Pentagon
announced Friday.
Ali Hamza Ahmed Sulayman al Bahlul, of Yemen, and Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud
al Qosi, of Sudan, have not been charged with any crime, the Pentagon
said in a statement, and no trial dates have been set. The
circumstances of their capture were not immediately clear.
Air Force Lt. Col. Sharon Shaffer will represent al Qosi, the Pentagon
said. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Philip Sundel and Army Maj. Mark Bridges will
represent al Bahlul.
The prisoners are the third and fourth to receive lawyers. Already,
Salim Ahmed Hamdan of Yemen and David Hicks of Australia have been
assigned representation.
All are among the six President Bush previously identified as possible
candidates for trial by a special military tribunal.
About 650 suspected members of al-Qaida or the Taliban are being held
at the high-security prison at Guantanamo Bay. Human rights groups and
some foreign governments have criticized their treatment and the lack
of trials or access to lawyers.
The United States says the prisoners are "enemy combatants," not
prisoners of war, and says military tribunals are allowed under
international law.

Posted by flow Frazao on February 6, 2004 at 01:04 PM | Permalink