Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Legal Commentary Blogs -> TalkLeft

Legal Commentary

: TalkLeft

Federal Judge Orders Release of Uighur Detainees Into U.S.

By Jeralyn

On Sunday I wrote a long post on the plight of the Uighur Chinese Muslim detainees at Guantanamo and the court hearing that would be held today.

The Center for Constitutional Rights and the ACLU reports (link will be available here) the Judge did in fact order their release into the U.S.

U.S. District Judge Ricardo M. Urbina in Washington, D.C. rejected the Bush administration’s position of indefinitely holding the detainees, known as Uighurs, since they are not considered enemy combatants. The Uighurs have been held in Guantánamo for seven years.

More...

....“This is a landmark decision that represents a stinging rejection of the Bush administration’s unconstitutional Guantánamo policies. The situation facing the Uighurs is a stark reminder of the legal and moral quagmire of Guantánamo. These individuals were cleared for release, but have been held without charge by this administration in a system that ignores the fundamental tenets of due process. The judge was right to rule that this kind of detention is unlawful because the Constitution prohibits indefinite imprisonment without any charges.”

MSNBC has this article reporting the Judge ordered the Government to release the Uighurs into the United States.

The Center for Constitutional Rights says:

Today, for the first time, a federal court ordered the release into the United States of 17 innocent Uighur men who have been imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay for nearly seven years. The men are refugees who would face persecution and imprisonment, if not death, if returned to their native China.

This is a historic day for the U.S. Finally, we are beginning the process of taking responsibility for our mistakes and fixing them,” said CCR Attorney Emi MacLean. “For years, the United States has begged other countries to clean up the mess we made in Guantanamo, but the hypocrisy of this appeal was evident abroad. Perhaps now other countries will be less reluctant to come to our aid.” MacLean continued, “Allowing these wrongfully detained men a fresh start would also provide the U.S. a fresh start – an opportunity to turn a page and finally take a position of leadership in closing Guantanamo.”

All of our coverage of the Uighurs is accessible here.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on October 07, 2008 (boomark / email).