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| Hearings for two detainees |
| 2004-12-09 |
| A PRISONER who allegedly trained with the al-Qaeda terrorist network appeared today before a US military review tribunal in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, while another man refused to attend his hearing. Their cases came a day after the military ordered that 33 more prisoners remain held as enemy combatants, a murky classification that affords prisoners fewer protections than prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions. The tribunals have considered 480 cases so far. Most have been ordered held, while only one prisoner - a Pakistani - has been released. About 70 more need to be evaluated. Among the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay are two Australians, David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib. Hicks is due to be tried by a military commission next year on charges including terrorism. Today the review panel heard from a 28-year-old accused of training at an al-Qaeda camp in the late 1990s, said Navy Lieutenant Gary Ross, a spokesman for the review tribunals. Although the detainee was arrested in Pakistan with other people allegedly linked to al-Qaeda, it was not clear what he said at his tribunal. Despite a Freedom of Information Act request made more than a month ago by The Associated Press, the military has not provided the transcripts of testimonies made by prisoners at the tribunals, which began shortly after the Supreme Court ruled the some 550 prisoners at the US naval base had the right to challenge their detentions in US courts. At hearings the media has attended, many prisoners have refuted the government's allegations. The men are only allowed to hear the unclassified portions of the accusations and are not allowed lawyers. Although the government views the hearings as administrative, statements made during the tribunals can be used against the men in military trials. A 34-year-old prisoner who allegedly worked as an al-Qaeda guard and was accused of training at al-Qaeda's al-Farouq camp in Afghanistan did not attend his hearing today, Lt Ross said. Although the man made a written statement, the government did not provide it. |
| Posted by:God Save The World |