Litigation

Cole Bombing Suspect Facing Next Gitmo Trial?

By Peter Hardin

The first detainee who is expected to be charged before a military tribunal at Guantanamo during the Obama administration  is Abd al Rahim al Nashiri, the accused mastermind of the 2000 bombing of the U.S. destroyer Cole in a Yemen port.

Because Nashiri has alleged torture and mistreatment at the hands of his captors, his case “is fraught with complications for the administration,” a Los Angeles Times article reported.

President Obama lifted an earlier ban on the military trials at Guantanamo Bay (see Gavel Grab), clearing the way for the first prosecution there during his administration. His executive order also created a new system of indefinite detention for some prisoners.

“President Obama’s executive order governing certain detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison is both an admission of failure and a step in the right direction,” a Washington Post editorial declared. “Obama retreats on Gitmo” was the headline for a Philadelphia Inquirer editorial, and a Los Angeles Times editorial was headlined, “Mired in Guantanamo.”

Full post as published by The Gavel on March 09, 2011 (boomark / email).