Hope Dies at Guantánamo
from Consortium News:
Hope Dies at Guantánamo
June 21, 2012
A combination of a right-wing federal Appeals Court in Washington and a disinterested U.S. Supreme Court means Guantánamo inmates have little hope for justice even if a District Court judge sides with their arguments. That means the right of habeas corpus is effectively dead for detainees, writes Marjorie Cohn.
By Marjorie Cohn
The tragic case of Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif hit a dead end when the U.S. Supreme Court issued an order refusing to hear his case last week. Latif, a Yemeni man, has been imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay since January 2002, after being detained while traveling to seek medical treatment.
Latif had suffered serious head injuries as the result of a car accident in 1994, and the Yemeni government paid for him to receive treatment in Jordan at that time. But his medical problems persisted, and in 1999 Yemens Ministry of Public Health recommended that Latif undergo tests, therapy and surgical procedures at his own expense.
Unable to afford it, Latif said he left Yemen in 2001 with the help of a charitable worker to seek free medical treatment in Pakistan. When he was picked up in Afghanistan on his way to Pakistan and transferred to U.S. custody in December 2001, Latif had his medical records with him.
After a kangaroo court proceeding, a Combatant Status Review Tribunal at Guantanamo declared Latif to be an enemy combatant. He was not allowed to attend the hearing, nor was he permitted to see the evidence against him. Instead of a lawyer, he was given a Personal Representative a military officer who did not represent Latifs interests. ....................(more)
The complete piece is at:
http://consortiumnews.com/2012/06/21/hope-dies-at-guantanamo/