Military lawyers planning to sue over Guantanamo tribunal rules.

[LittleApple81]

Magazine says military lawyers may sue over tribunal rules


December 1, 2003, 3:20 PM EST


NEW YORK (AP) _ Some of the military lawyers assigned to represent alleged terrorists at Guantanamo Bay believe the rules governing pending tribunals violate their ethical obligations and make fair trials impossible, Vanity Fair magazine reported Monday.

The rules include allowing the prosecution to monitor lawyer-client conversations; using as evidence confessions obtained under duress; and permitting hearsay, the magazine reported. The right to appeal would be restricted.

The magazine, citing sources it did not identify, says the lawyers plan to submit the rules to their individual state bar associations, hoping for findings that the rules violate due process. The lawyers would then file a lawsuit in federal court, arguing that the conflict makes their orders unlawful.

The Vanity Fair article also quotes unidentified senior intelligence officials as saying they doubt the interrogation of more than 650 detainees at Guantanamo Bay has produced intelligence of significant value. The article quotes "multiple sources" as saying that no known al-Qaida leader has been held at the base in Cuba.

more....

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--guantanamo-vanity1201dec01,0,5583446.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire

[LittleApple81]

1. Kicking, because there might be hope if the military lawyers protest. n/t