Curb sought on counsel to detainees
US asks court to restrict talks with lawyers
By Farah Stockman, Globe Staff | October 25, 2006
WASHINGTON -- The US government is seeking to sharply restrict communication between defense lawyers and inmates at Guantanamo Bay prison, asserting that some lawyers have given inmates "inflammatory" material such as reports of abuses at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison and news articles about terrorist attacks.
The government is seeking judicial approval for new rules that would allow defense lawyers only four visits with their clients, rather than the unlimited number now permitted; control the topics that can be discussed in such meetings; and restrict the types of information that can be exchanged between lawyers and detainees through the mail.
The government filed the new rules in August with the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., which is currently reviewing them in connection with the case of a Guantanamo detainee. If the court agrees to the limitations, they are expected to be applied to future cases.
Since the first detainees were brought to Guantanamo Bay after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the Bush administration has battled to keep information about them secret -- including their names -- and to prevent them from having access to defense lawyers.
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http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/10/25/curb_sought_on_counsel_to_detainees/