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Federal judge orders release of Guantanamo detainee accused in 9/11 attacks

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] A judge in the US District Court for the District of Columbia on Monday ordered the release of a Guantanamo Bay detainee who had been accused of planning the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a Mauritanian who has been in US custody for over seven years, brought a habeas corpus petition, claiming that he had been tortured in prison and had made confessions under duress. Slahi was once considered a key al Qaeda leader and prosecutors had sought the death penalty against him. However, a prominent government prosecutor stepped down from the case because he did not support the alleged abusive treatment used against Slahi. The judge's decision is currently classified, although the court suggested that the files will become available at a future date. Last year, the Federal Court of Canada dismissed an application by Slahi requesting access to records of interrogations conducted by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) both in Canada and at Guantanamo Bay. Slahi had sought the release of the records to corroborate his allegations of mistreatment at Guantanamo Bay as part of his ongoing habeas corpus petition.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on March 23, 2010 (boomark / email).