Head exploder: "GITMO Trials Rigged" Claim Former Mil. Prosecutors

[iconoclastic cat]

From dKos:

"GITMO Trials Rigged" Claim Former Mil. Prosecutors

by Steven D
Sun Jul 31st, 2005 at 20:34:25 EDT

That's right. The trials are a sham. And this isn't Michael Moore or Jimmy Carter or some other punching bag for the Right making this charge. These claims come directly from emails written by two former military prosecutors at GITMO to their superiors complaining of a process they considered both unethical and Unamerican:

Leaked emails from two former prosecutors claim the military commissions set up to try detainees at Guantanamo Bay are rigged, fraudulent, and thin on evidence against the accused.

Two emails, which have been obtained by the ABC, were sent to supervisors in the Office of Military Commissions in March of last year - three months before Australian detainee David Hicks was charged and five months before his trial began.

he first email is from prosecutor Major Robert Preston to his supervisor.


Maj Preston writes that the process is perpetrating a fraud on the American people, and that the cases being pursued are marginal.

"I consider the insistence on pressing ahead with cases that would be marginal even if properly prepared to be a severe threat to the reputation of the military justice system and even a fraud on the American people," Maj Preston wrote.

. . . Maj Preston says he cannot continue to work on a process he considers morally, ethically and professionally intolerable.


"I lie awake worrying about this every night," he wrote.

. . . "After all, writing a motion saying that the process will be full and fair when you don't really believe it is kind of hard, particularly when you want to call yourself an officer and lawyer."

more...

********

Can't...type...through...blinding...rage...


Edited to add: Check out this from that page's comments:

The ABC (Australian) website has another story linked with this one - "Guantanamo claims will be 'pursued if proven'":

Federal Attorney-General Philip Ruddock says if the veracity of leaked emails that claim the prosecutions of Guantanamo Bay detainees are rigged is proven, the Government will pursue the matter.

[cry baby]

1. Enfuriating...but sadly, not surprising.

edit to say that my head does hurt from banging it against the wall. Just so tired of all this sh*t. I hope these emails become well known and they are covered on our corporate media.

[Starlight]

6. Of course they're shams.

I didn't realize there was any doubt about it. :shrug:

[SammyWinstonJack]

29. You mean like this.

:banghead: Nothing these murdering thugs to do cover their asses, surprises me anymore.

[BrklynLiberal]

2. O. MI. GOD!!!!!!

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[Old and In the Way]

3. A fraWd pResident with fraWd reasons to fight a fraWd war.

When will the real criminals be indicted?

[madaboutharry]

4. This administration has disgraced our

nation. We are now governed by Stalinists. This sounds like the theme of a Russian novel. I am so sad.

[Pachamama]

23. Or the theme of an American Novel: Sinclair Lewis "It can't happen here"

...oh yes it can....

:puke:

...and it is happening here....

[BrklynLiberal]

5. Here is the link to the news story from ABC News Online

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200508/s1426797.htm

[joemurphy]

7. Jesus. Bring them to the U.S. Try them before a real court.

Use Federal Court judges and District Attorneys. If there aren't any cases against them, let them go. If there is something, give them a fair trial.

This isn't rocket science.

Rumsfeld should now resign. This is really the last straw. If the Pentagon, after three years detention, is now having to use biased kangaroo courts to pre-judge and then sentence these detaineeds, maybe we should think about not just releasing the detainees, but letting Rumsfeld go too.

I'm an attorney. This report sickens me. It goes to the very heart of due process. It shames America in the eyes of the world. Every attorney in America should be outraged at this.

[hootinholler]

11. Um if they aren't U.S. Citizens...

Were captured abroad in a 'war zone', and broke no U.S. laws, how can we try them in U.S. courts?

The sham is that they are being classified in a limbo status. Not POW, not criminally charged.

It's a huge mess.

-Hoot

[joemurphy]

13. How are they any different than people we kidnap and bring

into the country for trial? General Noriega comes to mind.

We were deliberately keeping these people (some of whom are children, by the way) in Gitmo because the administration maintained that U.S. law didn't apply there. We just got through trying the Millenium Bomber in a U.S. District Court in Washington state. If they aren't entitled to the full panoply of procedural due process, we can still use our federal courts to handle whatever it is they are to be charged with -- something we still don't know, by the way.

Anything would be better than what is apparently being done now.

[hootinholler]

10. We should note this is Austrailian BC not American BC...

We need to get this out in the US press!

-Hoot

[randr]

8. This administration is rotten to the core.

If there is anyone working in any department who has the slightest regard for their country, please come forward now.
Otherwise all you rats will go down with this disgusting ship of state.

[iconoclastic cat]

9. Nope. This is a bonafide,non-tinfoil neofascist takeover.

[bvar22]

12. Posted this to another thread. Reposted here:

Secret Detentions, Secret Prisons, Secret Tribunals are an insult to EVERYTHING I believe in as an American!

The Forefathers made it clear that Human Beings are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.."--Declaration of Independence

The forefathers MADE IT CLEAR that our rights do NOT come from the government, but solely from the fact that we are Human Beings!
An attempt to argue that the Protections in our Constitution are ONLY for some Human Beings remind me of Animal Farm where "some" animals were more equal than others." Arguing that Constitutional Rights extend ONLY to US Citizens indicates a PROFOUND misunderstanding about America and the values this country claims to stand for.

It is very simple. You either believe that our country was founded on values that extend beyond mere governments, and that our sacred documents restrict Government, or you Don't believe it.



GITMO DEPRIVES ME OF MY RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES AS AN AMERICAN CITIZEN!!!

The right of Due Process and Public Trial was specified not ONLY to protect those detained by our Government, but it also confers on me, an American Citizen, the RIGHT and RESPONSIBILITY to observe the Government in action. It is MY RIGHT and RESPONSIBILITY to OVERSEE the government. It is absurd to argue that this RESPONSIBILITY is limited by our National Borders. There is NOWHERE in the WORLD where those who serve in MY NAME should be able to hide from the supervision of the American People. The Forefathers GAVE the PEOPLE the responsibility of Supervising the Government! Whenever those who serve IN MY NAME act to hide the actions of MY government, something is BAD wrong!

It is MY RIGHT and RESPONSIBILITY as an American Citizen:

*to know the NAMES and ORIGIN of those who are being held captive IN MY NAME!

*to HEAR their OWN story in their OWN words delivered in a PUBLIC Forum

*to study the evidence and testimony of those who have accused them

*to hear and study ANY evidence that the accused can present in his/her defense

I DEMAND that my government HONOR my RIGHTS and RESPONSIBILITIES as an American Citizen.
The secret detention centers and secret tribunals are an INSULT and an ABOMINATION to ALL American Citizens, and a direct violation of the Limits imposed on Government in our Constitution!

[Hissyspit]

17. Excellent. Post it as its own thread!

If you don't, I'm going to...

[bvar22]

18. Please feel free to do so.

You are free to expand or edit. I am not interested in authorship. I AM passionate that those who come here read it, and understand. I have never heard this aspect of the GITMO outrages talked about. Most tend to focus on the detainees, but it is ALSO A VIOLATION of EVERY AMERICAN CITIZEN.!


I posted to GD on Friday, kicked it myself. It got ONE (1) response.

Saturday Morning, I posted it to GD Politics, Kicked it myself, got 2 responses.

So, I'm going to paste it to threads on Gitmo and torture to see if it will generate some interest.

Thanks for noticing.
I was beginning to think that I was the only one who cared!
:patriot:

[Hissyspit]

19. O.K. n/t

[Hissyspit]

20. I agree completely. By the way, what is the HTML code for

to box you put in there. I tried to make a table, but it didn't work.

[bvar22]

21. It looks like this:

<div class="excerpt"> Insert text </div>

Of course with brackets instead of the "< >"


If you PM me with your E-Mail addy, I'll send you the whole post with the HTML code.

[Donailin]

14. We need to start a new slogan when referring to BushCo.

THOROUGHLY CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION
THOROUGHLY CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION
THOROUGHLY CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION
THOROUGHLY CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION
THOROUGHLY CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION
THOROUGHLY CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION
THOROUGHLY CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION
THOROUGHLY CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION
THOROUGHLY CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION
THOROUGHLY CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION
THOROUGHLY CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION
THOROUGHLY CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION
THOROUGHLY CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION
THOROUGHLY CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION
THOROUGHLY CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION
THOROUGHLY CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION
THOROUGHLY CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION
THOROUGHLY CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION
THOROUGHLY CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION
THOROUGHLY CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION

Spread the word, folks. This needs to be THE TALKING POINT.

[Al-CIAda]

15. Karl Schwarz had talked about this about a year ago. Some may be

Bridas employees who were in the way of pipeline dollars.

[Hissyspit]

16. Someone involved in this whole nightmare is laying awake at night?

A conscience? Wow.. I had given up hope.

Kicked and nominated and emailed to my local newspaper.

[ClayZ]

22. The rest of them must drug themselves

into a stupor at night! I don't know how one of them or their vast crew can look at themselves in the mirror.

This give me hope too, that someone has a conscience. I hope it gets real contagious real fast. An out break conscience. Let the confessions begin!



:kick:

[wli]

24. head exploder? the kangaroo courts were called such immediately

The neofascists' Fourth Reich isn't just an analogy, they're literally aping Hitler et al.

[moodforaday]

25. Major kick

:kick:

[Pachamama]

26. kick for the morning crowd n/t

[SunDrop23]

27. They'll be labeled unAmerican and suddenly disappear

[centristo]

28. its ok guys

this morning's WSJ states that the Dept. of Defense looked into the matter and said there were no wrong-doings. So I guess we don't have to worry about it...

/sarcasm


edit:grammer