Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

US Weighs New Hearings for Gitmo Detainees

Filing, reevaluations seen as bids to stall court challenges

By Jane Yager,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 15, 2007 1:59 PM CDT

(Newser) – The Justice Department has made the first official move to reevaluate the status of enemy combatants held at Guantanamo, confirming the possibility of new hearings that would represent a dramatic administration policy change. Friday's federal court filing concerns only one detainee and appears to be a maneuver to head off other inmates' challenges to their detention, the Times reports.

During status hearings in 2004 and 2005, detainees were denied access to lawyers and could not see evidence against them, a process one prisoner's lawyer called "gravely flawed." A Pentagon spokesman characterized the filing as merely an indication a reassessment is under way, saying "no decisions have been made to redo" the hearings.

A US trooper keeps watch from a guard tower at the detention compound at Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, Cuba, in this Dec. 7, 2006 file photo, reviewed by a U.S. Dept of Defense official. Guards at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp found two prisoners sporting unauthorized underwear,...
A US trooper keeps watch from a guard tower at the detention compound at Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, Cuba, in this Dec. 7, 2006 file photo, reviewed by a U.S. Dept of Defense official. Guards at the...   (Associated Press)
A detainee is moved by military guards at the detention center at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba in this May 1, 2007 file photo. Critics have long complained that military panels at Guantanamo Bay recommend continued detention of inmates based on little evidence. Documents obtained by The Associated Press may...
A detainee is moved by military guards at the detention center at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba in this May 1, 2007 file photo. Critics have long complained that military panels at Guantanamo Bay recommend...   (Associated Press)
A US military guard stands in a watch tower at Guantanamo detention facility on Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in Cuba, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2007. Many of the detainees at Guantanamo have been held since 2002. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
A US military guard stands in a watch tower at Guantanamo detention facility on Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in Cuba, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2007. Many of the detainees at Guantanamo have been held since...   (Associated Press)
US military personnel  inspect each occupied cell on a two-minute cycle at Camp 5 maximum-security facility on Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in Cuba, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2007. Many of the detainees at Guantanamo have been held since 2002. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
US military personnel inspect each occupied cell on a two-minute cycle at Camp 5 maximum-security facility on Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in Cuba, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2007. Many of the detainees at Guantanamo...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

More Newser Stories

Al-Qaeda Magazine Found in Gitmo

Guantanamo Bay Turns 10

US May Swap Gitmo Inmates for Taliban Peace Deal

US Defends Conditions Inside Gitmo

NATO Raid Kills Ex-Gitmo Detainee in Afghanistan


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne