4
5 Ordered Freed From Gitmo on Feds' Lack of Evidence
Governments' classified case insufficient to justify further detention
By Nick McMaster
|
Posted Nov 20, 08 1:50 PM CST
|
Share
(Newser)
–
A federal judge today ordered the release of five Guantánamo Bay inmates, ruling that the US government’s evidence was not enough to justify their continued detention, the New York Times reports. The men were among the inmates who won a Supreme Court verdict in June that found they indeed had constitutional rights.
The decision by Judge Richard Leon—a Bush appointee who in 2005 ruled that Guantánamo inmates had no habeas corpus rights—is seen as a repudiation of the White House’s policies. Further, Leon urged the government not to appeal, saying that “7 years of waiting for our legal system to give them an answer” was long enough.