Judge Demands Speedy Trial for Gitmo Prisoners

Prosecutor reveals embarrassing security breach

(NEWSER) - A copy of al-Qaeda's Inspire magazine somehow found its way into a terror suspect's cell at Guantanamo Bay. The security breach was revealed at a hearing yesterday by a prosecutor defending the prison camp's plan to review mail between prisoners and their attorneys, the Miami Herald reports. The magazine, launched in 2010 , glorifies al-Qaeda actions including the 9/11 attacks and offers bomb-making tips and messages of support for Gitmo inmates. More»

And appears no closer to closure than it was 2 years ago

(NEWSER) - Today is a birthday, but probably not one you want to celebrate: Guantanamo Bay is turning 10, an anniversary that will be marked by protests here and abroad. Ten years ago, the first 20 detainees were flown to the detention facility in chains. Several of those 20 remain at Gitmo today, NPR notes. Of the 171 detainees still held at Guantanamo, just 36 will likely be given a military trial. Another 48 will, seemingly, be detained indefinitely; the US lacks a sufficient amount of evidence to try them, but insists they are too dangerous to release. More»

Negotiations near breakthrough, US officials say

(NEWSER) - After many months of secretive negotiations, peace talks between the US and the Taliban are at a turning point, reports Reuters , which cites senior US officials speaking under condition of anonymity. The US is considering transferring Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to Afghan custody in return for concessions from the Taliban, possibly including a denunciation of terrorism and a willingness to enter talks with Hamid Karzai's government, the officials say. More»

Military releases rare photos of cell to prove conditions OK in 'Five Echo'

(NEWSER) - To defend conditions in a disciplinary block at Guantanamo Bay prison, US military officials have released photos of the rarely seen interior, reports the AP . "Five Echo," a section of the prison used for "noncompliant" detainees, had been accused of violating Geneva Conventions by lawyers for some of the detainees, who said its cells are so small small, lights are so bright, and air quality so poor that they are inhumane. "Five Echo is really a throwback to the bad old days at Guantanamo," said an attorney representing three inmates. More»

Secret interrogation memos reveal inmate details, prison life

(NEWSER) - A trove of some 700 new WikiLeaks documents on Guantanamo reveals detailed military assessments of hundreds of men who have been locked up there as well as information about interrogations, prison conditions, and inmate behavior. The assessments by military intelligence were carried out from 2002 to 2009 and offer a unique insight into a kind of "limbo" justice system that operates nowhere else in America. Among the revelations:

• Saudi Mohammad Qahtani, who has been linked to the 9/11 attacks, was leashed, sexually humiliated, and forced to urinate on himself during interrogations.
• A man arrested near a roadside bombing site was locked up for three years until officials decided he was what he claimed to be: a shepherd.
• Intelligence officers from several nations—including Russia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia—were allowed to question suspects at Guantanamo.