As expected, the government doesn't have much evidence against many of the folks who've been held in Guantanamo for the last six years. These five Algerians were ordered released when a judge finally heard their case after all these years:
The Algerians, former residents of Bosnia, were picked up by Bosnian authorities in October 2001 and were sent in January of 2002 to Guantanamo, where they have been held as "enemy combatants" without being charged.
After they were detained in 2002, U.S. President George W. Bush said the six men had been planning a bomb attack on the U.S. embassy in Sarajevo.
But last month, Justice Department attorneys said they were no longer relying on those accusations to justify the continued detention of the six men.
The U.S. government has said the six Algerians planned to go to Afghanistan to fight U.S. forces. But Leon said that allegation was based on a single source, and he did not have enough information to judge the source's reliability or credibility.
The quicker that President Obama unwinds this fiasco, the better.
Posted by Will Bunch @ 1:03 PM
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44 comments
Good one about one of these Gitmo-held (Cuban lol) Bosnian hostages playing 2b in place of Utley. I wonder if this isn't an answer to future Phillies personell problems: Try these people out. They're not doing anything anyway. Maybe a few of them can hit HRs like Ryan Howard or pitch like Hamels. What do ya have to lose??
jmc - just a point of clarification. I wasn't railing about Republicans. I was railing about Republican toadies. There are many Republicans who have repudiated this administration and its assault on basic principles of justice. For example, many middle of the road, long standing Republicans have spoken quite vociferously about the damage that is being done by the Bush administration's holding prisoners without giving the due recourse to put up a defense, without giving them a chance to see the "evidence" against them, without being given access to lawyers, etc., etc. I never had assumed that all Republicans are toadies. Only those who prove themselves to be such with their inane comments at Attytood.
Dow down 444 today. Down 1767 or 19% since the Messiah was elected. HOPE. CHANGE.
MSL, since attytood is on the website of the two major newspapers in this city, and since the author works for the daily news and purports to be a member of the media, I think that applying journalistic standards is certainly appropriate.
z
The neococonuts continue to defend Bush's destruction of America and it's prinicples, even to this day. Sad indeed!
"With the reincarnation of the Clinton White House things may not change that much." (ET)...........Heck, after the last 8 years, I'd settle for just half of the competency of the Clinton White House.
AWM, just for your info, this Attytood thing isn't a newspaper, it's an opinion blog. Applying journalistic standards to it is a bit misplaced, don't you think?
"Don't support giving enemy combatants the same Constitutional rights as we have just because you don't like George Bush." . . . . . . The funny thing is, if it wasn't for liberals, we WOULD have the same constitutional rights as enemy combatants - next to none.
Bohica, might want to check who just signed off on the SOFA that has our troops out by 2012. hint, it wasn't obama.
MSL, I agree, but this type of dismissal happens quite frequently to US CITIZENS, too...and Will never blogs about that. I know, he has an agenda. I just tired of all the unbalance in what he tries to call journalism.
MSL, I agree, but this type of dismissal happens quite frequently to US CITIZENS, too...and Will never blogs about that. I know, he has an agenda. I just tired of all the unbalance in what he tries to call journalism.
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jmc and many others miss that simple point, Steve. to them it is a-ok for foreign gov's to pluck people off of foreign streets to hand to us to detain w/ little to no evidence, on the taxpayer's dime. small gov budget hawks indeed.
The whole point jmc is that we don't know whether or not they are really enemy combatants.
sleuth: Your railing against Republicans about the lengths they will go to support the Bush administration, but look at the lengths the left will go to to oppose the Bush administration. Don't support giving enemy combatants the same Constitutional rights as we have just because you don't like George Bush.
The beauty of this is that some of you so called small govt conservatives have no problems having your tax dollars used to hold 6 guys picked up in Bosnia. Repeat Bosnia. They were taken off the streets of a foreign country by foreign officals and sent to a prison run by our tax dollars. To be held w/o evidence. Evidence that we would have had to trust foreign officials for, since we didn't pick them up.
Wow, fake pleb and fake TPD in one day. LOL
I don't capisce the point, AWM. The informant in this case didn't recant. However, the DOJ couldn't make the case that the informant was credible or reliable. How f--ked up is that?
pagoda- let me try to clarify - I was comparing the release of these detainees due to lack of evidence to the trials in Philly when the witnesses recant, thereby causing a lack of evidence. Capisce?
It really is astounding just how many principles Republican toadies will gladly dump down the toilet in the name of defending their beloved Bush administration. Due process? Flush it. Innocent until proven guilty? Flush it. Respect for the Supreme Court? Flush it. Creating moral authority to help us win the "GWOT?" Flush it twice.
AngryWhiteMale- So when there are three witnesses and one has been murdered prior to hearing, the other's sister was killed in a hit and run, now the third is ridiculed for recanting a statement? This has happened multiple times in Philly- maybe you don't know as much as you think you know.
The Republican Supreme Court seems to think these people have a right to some sort of due process. That would mean the Constitution DOES apply.......funny how that works.
"James I'm certain you are aware that our constitution doesn't apply to foreign nationals" . . . . Whatever. Unfortunately for our bigot brigade, the constitution does apply to federal officials who hold foreign nationals in the name of the USA.
sounds like witnesses in Philly shootings who recant their statements to police...you never blog about that, Will
Evidence, schmevidence. They have brown skin. The highly dependable and reliable Bush government once suspected them of terrorism. Has the Bush administration EVER been wrong about anything important? I mean, you're not going to hold that one little WMD thingie against them, are you? We don't need no stinkin' evidence. They have dark skin. They speak a funny language. What more reasons do you want to justify holding them without legal rights?
The Judge was a Bush appointee, too.
Listen, it's pretty clear: if you can't take one unreliable statement and no evidence and lock people up for six years without trial or access to a lawyer while you torture them, you're not a conservative.
Hmmm, don't the prosecutors have some 'splainin to do? Where's their evidence of terrorism? Is this the best that Regent U law school grads can do?
"Turn 'em lose in Philly...near N. Broad Street." Better yet, turn them loose near S. Broad Street. After all, they've been in Cuba for 6 years...maybe one of them can fill in for Utley at 2nd base for a few weeks/months.
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Steve, Republicans and Democrats have different Supreme Courts? When did this happen?
The Republican Supreme Court seems to think these people have a right to some sort of due process (I forget exactly how that Hamdan case worked out). That would mean the Constitution DOES apply.
I wonder what will is going to saw when we stay in iraq, gitmo stays open, and torture continues under the obama administration....It will be called a "nuanced" approach, briliiant, not his fault, and historic.
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"The Messiah will have a lot of 'splainin' to do when one of these animals kills an American soldier/citizen after they are set free on society." - right, because these guys that were held and then released under the Bush Administration are obviously Obama's fault. Gotcha. Again, what passes for "analysis" for the marginalized minority.
The emptiness was the last eight years: empty-headed decisions, empty words, and now an empty national wallet.
How would you like to be held for over 6 years doing time for a crime you didn't commit? I'm glad these detainees are getting their time in court. It's immoral and against the Constitution to hold people without trial. If they are guilty, sentence them. Execute them if the crime warrants it.
The Messiah will have a lot of 'splainin' to do... b.atkinson, the "Messiah" shtick is getting soooooooo old. I pray sometime you say it in front of an offended religious person and they whack that smirk right off your face. Not sure what's more messianic than you morons blindly reelecting Bush in 2004, regardless what reality was saying.
Hold on to your fanny pack Will. President elect Obama is not in office yet. By the looks of things I wouldn't be waiting for that check in the mail any time soon either. With the reincarnation of the Clinton White House things may not change that much. All of those voters who had a hope and vision of a new form of leadership now are left with an emptiness, not unlike that of a White House intern who held on to a sperm stained dress.
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"...doesn't have much evidence..." That never stopped you, Will. It's unfortunate that there will be six more terrorists out there for President Obama to contend with. Let's hope they don't kill an American soldier or citizen.
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About Will Bunch
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Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
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