GITMO: Another HIGH LEVEL THREAT detainee released

From the DoD:

Detainee Transfer Announced

Press Operations
22 September 2015

The Department of Defense announced today the transfer of Abdul Shalabi from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.


On June 15, a Periodic Review Board consisting of representatives from the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, and State; the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence determined continued law of war detention of Shalabi does not remain necessary to protect against a continuing significant threat to the security of the United States. As a result of that review, which examined a number of factors, including security issues, Shalabi was recommended for transfer by consensus of the six departments and agencies comprising the Periodic Review Board.


In accordance with statutory requirements, the secretary of defense informed Congress of the United States' intent to transfer this individual and of his determination that this transfer meets the statutory standard.


The Periodic Review Board process was established by the president's March 7, 2011 Executive Order (EO) 13567.


The United States is grateful to the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its willingness to support ongoing U.S. efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. The United States coordinated with the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to ensure this transfer took place consistent with appropriate security and humane treatment measures.


Today, 114 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay.

More information:  Periodic Review Secretariat http://www.prs.mil/.

About that HIGH Level risk, etc etc?  GO here and read all you need to know about this latest detainee release.

GITMO: open door policy continues

Here we go again!

From DoD:

Detainee Transfer Announced

September 17, 2015



The Department of Defense announced today the repatriation of Younis Abdurrahman Chekkouri from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to the Government of Morocco.


As directed by the president's Jan. 22, 2009, executive order, the interagency Guantanamo Review Task Force conducted a comprehensive review of this case. As a result of that review, which examined a number of factors, including security issues, Chekkouri was unanimously approved for transfer by the six departments and agencies comprising the task force.


In accordance with statutory requirements, the secretary of defense informed Congress of the United States' intent to transfer this individual and of the secretary's determination that this transfer meets the statutory standard.

The United States is grateful to the Government of Morocco for its willingness to support ongoing U.S. efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. [emphasis mine] The United States coordinated with the Government of Morocco to ensure this transfer took place consistent with appropriate security and humane treatment measures.

Today, 115 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay.

All well and good, but wait!  Back in April 2011, The UK Telegraph had this summary of this latest release:

Memo date: 11/03/2008
Detainee Summary: If released without rehabilitation, close supervision, and means to successfully reintegrate into his society as a law-abiding citizen, it is assessed detainee would probably seek out prior associates and reengage in hostilities and extremist support activities. Since his transfer to JTF-GTMO detainee has been somewhat compliant with the guard force, but has one incident of threatening to kill a guard. He is non- CLASSIFIED(S) cooperative with debriefers and withholds information of intelligence value, probably indicating his continued support for Islamic extremism. Detainee co-founded the Moroccan Islamic Fighting Group (GICM) and served as the head of its Military Commission.1 He formerly oversaw GICM operations in Afghanistan (AF), Syria (SY), and Turkey (TU). Detainee is assessed to have been a close Usama Bin Laden (UBL) associate who played a central role in coordinating mutual support between the GICM and al-Qaida, to include providing GICM fighters to support al-Qaida combat operations in Afghanistan and terrorist attacks Europe. Detainee is assessed to have engaged in hostilities against US and Coalition forces as the GICM senior commander on the Bagram front lines and at Tora Bora, and was captured with other extremist fighters fleeing Tora Bora. Detainee ran the Moroccan Training Camp at the Derunta Training Complex and trained militant fighters in explosive detonators, chemical weapons, and military tactics at the Algerian Guesthouse in Jalalabad, AF, and at Derunta. Detainee has familial ties to the GICM and al-Qaida members, including former JTF-GTMO detainees who have attempted to reconstitute the GICM. Detainee is assessed to be a high risk to who is likely to reaffiliate with the al-Qaida network as a senior commander and resume hostilities upon release.

Health: Detainee is in good physical health with no significant medical problems.

Threat to US: HIGH

Intelligence value: HIGH

Go read more on this release here, as this administration's divert and distract policy continues...  

PAY ATTENTION!

Video: 9/11 *Justice* - What about the Victims?

Today, families of the 9/11 victims, who wait for justice for their loved ones, got this in their inbox:

 In April 2014, the Defense filed a motion requesting the Commission inquire into potential conflicts of interest arising from inquiries by the Federal Bureau of Investigation into one or more of the defense teams.  On 3 April 2015, the appointed Special Review Team (SRT) provided classified, ex parte, filings to the Military Judge regarding the inquiry concerning the potential conflicts of interest centering on Mr. bin al Shibh's Defense Team.  Based upon the filing by the SRT, and the stance of the Prosecution as to preservation of a joint trial, the Judge issued a Scheduling Order cancelling the 20-24 April 2015 hearing.


       [...]


        The next scheduled hearing in the case of U.S. v Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, et al. is 1-5 June 2015.

Stars and Stripes had this:

Judge cancels this month's 9/11 hearing at GuantanamoBy Carol RosenbergMIAMI (Tribune News Service) — Military judges have canceled three war court hearings in a row, effectively leaving Guantanamo’s Camp Justice dark for two months and signaling how much the war crimes cases are still a work in progress.



On Friday, according to attorneys who have seen the order, the Sept. 11 trial judge canceled hearings planned for April 20-24 at the war-court compound in Cuba. Army Col. James L. Pohl, the judge, cited a secret filing that day by a Justice Department team reporting to him about the circumstances of a supposedly since-closed FBI probe of defense attorneys.



Pohl also cited the case prosecutor’s continuing opposition to his judicial order separating defendant Ramzi bin al Shibh from the case to make progress toward the trials of the other four men.



Accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and his alleged accomplices were last in court February when hearings were disrupted by Bin al Shibh’s disclosure that a Pentagon-paid, defense interpreter had earlier worked for the CIA in their secret prison network, where the men were tortured.



Their next hearing in the death-penalty case is scheduled for June 1-5.



Progress has also been slowed while attorneys and the judge waited for release of a portion of the so-called Senate Torture Report that described in part what agents did to the five men in the CIA prison network between 2002 or 2003 and 2006.



Defense attorneys now want the rest of the report, which is classified. Prosecutors say they are studying it to decide which portions the defense lawyers should see.
Earlier, another judge, Air Force Col. Vance H. Spath, canceled this week’s pretrial hearing in the USS Cole case after prosecutors appealed his rejection of a prosecution theory in the case alleging “wanton disregard” for the safety of Yemeni port workers in Aden at the time of al-Qaida’s Oct. 12, 2000 suicide bombing. Seventeen U.S. sailors died in the attack and prosecutors want to bring witnesses that widen the victim pool beyond the American service members....

GO read the rest of this one here.

It may seem hard, from both Carol Rosenberg's ongoing reporting, and the regular emails sent to the 9/11 families, to remember that every single one of those we lost on 9/11 is more than a number.  As the wheels of justice grind ever more slowly, and the defense continues to use any and all trick in the books to ensure the 9/11 terrorists'  rights - rights to which, as enemies of America, in my opinion, they are  not entitled - every delay exacerbates the agony of loss forever carried by the survivors of that terrible day.

That is Keith, Ken and Diane Fairben in their last family photo prior to 9/11.    On that day, Ken and Diane lost their only child, as Keith gave his life working to save other innocents' lives.

My regular readers know that in the last few years I have come to know and love Ken and Diane, and many other 9/11 survivors, as family.

The road to justice seems never-ending, and along the way Ken and Diane - and other 9/11 families have faithfully attended scheduled GITMO hearings. 

The last Hearings in February were scheduled to last a week, but in fact ran for a total of less than 10 hours, based on new defense tactics.  Of course, one of the latest gifts to the defense team was the "CIA torture Memo" that Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein felt compelled to release.  At that time, I told Diane Fairben that I was sure that would be a golden gift to the defense, and so it is proving.

Back in February, Diane and Ken attended a CCTV Hearing at their nearest Military base, and Diane shared her observations with me.(All quotes used with permission.)

February 12

 Well, we are here...arguments about a detainee and his health, because he was not cooperating with guards taking him back to his cell in December. So said detainee was hit, kicked, now has internal injuries.

Any rational person would know the absurdity of such claims, since I can guarantee that every Military member doing a deployment at GITMO is more than well aware that every interaction with the inmates is subject to scrutiny by the defense lawyers and the msm.

February 12

Torture, is now being blamed for detainees health,, going back to 2003.

 Can you feel my BP GOING UP.

Yes, yes, I could, and I was reminded of this:

That is part one of a four part interview with Dr James Mitchell. Go here for all four parts of this illuminating description of what actually took place. Although I do have issues with some of the questions Kelly asked Mitchell, I believe the details given by Mitchell put the lie to the political spin insisted on by the Democrats. It is worth noting - for those who may have missed it - that the  Democrat report released with such flourish, does not include any input from any of the crucial officials. It was solely a Democrat produced report..


Let me state for the record that I absolutely believe in the prosecuting team being always mindful of the true victims of that cowardly terrorist act on 9/11, and their right to see justice done. However,  I have long maintained to Diane and other 9/11 survivors, that for the current administration, it is all about politics and politically-driven agendas, Despite being assured by some that this Military Commission is under the auspices of the Military, and therefore immune to political interference, back in February there was this from the Business Insider:

A US military court is investigating possible government meddling in a hearing of accused 9/11 plotters

Tom Ramstack ReutersFebruary 11, 2015


FORT MEADE, Md. (Reuters) - A U.S. military court on Wednesday tried to assess whether government agents interfered with the trial of five men charged with the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States by spying on defenses attorneys and their clients.


The judge halted the pre-trial hearing at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, military prison on Monday after one of the defendants said his interpreter had worked at a secret CIA prison.


When the hearing resumed on Wednesday, defenses attorneys contended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Central Intelligence Agency had planted Arabic interpreters on the defenses team, bugged conversations between the attorneys and their clients and questioned their support staff.


Defenses attorneys told Army Colonel Judge James Pohl the apparent spying interfered with the defendants' constitutional rights to a fair trial in the slow-moving death penalty cases....

GO read the rest.

Yes, Diane saw that exchange and shared this comment:

apparently, [...]  client saw someone in the courtroom that upset him...she said he was terrified........I'm done..

And the circus continues.  

As stated above, the defense certainly is providing a *robust* defense, such as would be accorded any American in a court of law, and this is being noted.  Again from February,  Miami Herald had this:

Side issues slow progress toward 9/11 trial at Guantánamo
Carol Rosenberg Miami Herald2/8/2015
The accused Sept. 11 conspirators unfurled their prayer rugs during scheduled prayer breaks at their May 5, 2012 arraignment at the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo. They are, from, Mustafa al Hawsawi, Ammar al Baluchi, Ramzi bin al Shibh, Walid Bin Attash,and Khalid Sheik Mohammad, shown in this sketch reviewed and approved for release by a U.S. military security official at the base. JANET HAMLIN ILLUSTRATION 

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVY BASE, CUBA 


The accused 9/11 plotters led by Khalid Sheik Mohammed return to war court Monday for the first time in six months with an agenda packed with some of the most fundamental issues to bedevil the case — torture, religious accommodation and the sanctity of the attorney-client relationship.



None of it, however, will involve the crime itself that drove creation of the court and prison in this remote outpost in southeast Cuba — the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.



That’s because nearly three years after the Obama administration first arraigned the men, the legal landscape has gotten more complicated, not less, in the Pentagon’s death penalty prosecution of the five men accused of training, directing and funding the hijackings that killed nearly 3,000 people at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and in a Pennsylvania field....

For the true depth of the absurdity of the 'side issues', go read the rest of this here.

So we come to today's notice of cancellation of the Hearings previously scheduled for April.

Diane's comment on this news?

I wonder sometimes, how we are not in the looney bin

As the days, weeks, months and years pass that these murderers continue to evade justice for their heinous crimes, it is more than understandable why Diane and ALL the survivors of  9/11 get to see their rights to justice.

Lest we forget, this is the latest 9/11 Roll of Honor and Remembrance put together (by Claudia Thomas) to ensure that we remember those survivors we have lost to 9/11 related illnesses. I would be remiss if I did not tell you that this video does not include many others, whose names are known only to God, and a few others within their close circle of family and friends left behind to mourn.   That day continues to demand a heavy price, as not a week goes by that another who stepped up to Serve on that day, lose their hard-fought battles.


9/11 Roll of Honor & Remembrance (Those Who Have Passed After 9/11 to Current Day)


   

Remember the victims.

Camp GITMO: The rush for the exit continues

From the US DoD:

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Release No: NR-015-15

January 14, 2015

Detainee Transfer Announced

The Department of Defense announced today the transfer of Al Khadr Abdallah Muhammad Al Yafi, Fadel Hussein Saleh Hentif, Abd Al-Rahman Abdullah Au Shabati, and Mohammed Ahmed Salam from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to Oman.

As directed by the president’s Jan. 22, 2009, executive order, the interagency Guantanamo Review Task Force conducted a comprehensive review of this case. As a result of that review, which examined a number of factors, including security issues, these men were unanimously approved for transfer by the six departments and agencies comprising the task force.

In accordance with statutory requirements, the secretary of defense informed Congress of the United States’ intent to transfer these individuals and of his determination that this transfer meets the statutory standard.

The United States is grateful to the Government of Oman for its humanitarian gesture and willingness to support ongoing U.S. efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. The United States coordinated with the Government of Oman to ensure these transfers took place consistent with appropriate security and humane treatment measures.

Today, 122 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay.

And there's this:

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Release No: NR-016-15
January 14, 2015

Detainee Transfer Announced


The Department of Defense announced today the transfer of Akhmed Abdul Qadir from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to Estonia.

As directed by the president’s Jan. 22, 2009, executive order, the interagency Guantanamo Review Task Force conducted a comprehensive review of this case. As a result of that review, which examined a number of factors, including security issues, this man was unanimously approved for transfer by the six departments and agencies comprising the task force.

In accordance with statutory requirements, the secretary of defense informed Congress of the United States’ intent to transfer this individual and of his determination that this transfer meets the statutory standard.

The United States is grateful to the Government of Estonia for its humanitarian gesture and willingness to support ongoing U.S. efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. The United States coordinated with the Government of Estonia to ensure these transfers took place consistent with appropriate security and humane treatment measures.

Today, 122 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay.

These days, as MIC pretty much opens the exit doors of GITMO, it is being bandied around that the recidivism rate of these detainees is 30%.  That is supposed to reassure us that none of these being set free are a threat to anybody.   I don't believe that at all, since over the last few years that number has gone as high as 60%+.

Pardon my cynicism, but what this stinks of to me, is all politics all the time, with absolutely no regard for the safety and security of the US. 

The current POTUS is infamous for his 'I have a pen and a phone' policies, as he demonstrates his determination to keep his 2007/8 election promises. 

On his second day in office, Obama signed a bill to close the gates of GITMO.  Here we are, six years later and only NOW are the politicians making noises about slowing down the release of those who were considered enemies of America.

"Facing serious opposition... some of these detainees might end up back on the battlefield"?????? You think?????


All well and good to be introducing bills now, BUT where the hell have these politicians been for the last six years?


Introduction of a bill to slow down the POTUS in his stated goals of releasing residents of GITMO, is a good thing (albeit very belated) but in fact he is just the public face of this insanity.  Yes, it is HIS ideology pushing the move, but his politically-motivated actions are aided and abetted - rubber-stamped if you will - by a number of agencies.

Check out the GITMO Review Task Force.   According to a 2010 report, the Department of Justice, Department of Defense, State Department, Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and Joint Chiefs of Staff all are supposedly signing off on these releases.  Go read that report.



All of this, in my opinion, is to provide cover for Obama's clearly stated goal of  "ongoing U.S. efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility."  THAT phrase is included in the above announcement, and should leave no doubt in anybody's mind as to what this ongoing exodus from GITMO is all about: America's national defense and security?  No.  Obama's political agenda to further his own ideology?  Check.

Business as usual for this White House:  All politics, all the time.

Related: Pentagon: No threat from five detainees released from Gitmo

GITMO: 9/11 Justice limps along

Do you believe in coincidences?  I do not.

This week, two more days of the Military Commission Hearings at GITMO were scheduled.


Late Monday night, this was sent to 9/11 Families:

The U.S. v. KSM et al (2) pretrial hearing scheduled for December 16, 2014 has been cancelled.

The next scheduled hearing will begin on 9 February 2015, at 9:00 am.

We are awaiting for commissions order(s) for further details.

If you go over to the Military Commission site, you can find numerous defense motions under consideration.


The coincidence?  Last week, Diane Feinstein released a summary of Senate Democrats report on the use of "torture."


From Miami Herald:

Judge orders sweeping 9/11 trial secrecy review 
BY CAROL ROSENBERG
12/13/2014


The judge overseeing the Sept. 11 mass murder trial has ordered prosecutors to go back and look at secrets sealed up in the court record to assess what the public can now see in light of this week’s revelations in the Senate Intelligence Committee’s so-called Torture Report.


The chief prosecutor, Army Brig. Gen. Mark Martins, declined to discuss the three-page order on Saturday — neither its substance nor its implications — because it was not yet made public.


But four attorneys who read it said the judge, Army Col. James L. Pohl, on Friday instructed the prosecution to carry out a sweeping review of more than two years of classified trial filings.


At issue is how much of the once-secret CIA interrogation and detention program can now be discussed in open court — and which classified filings can be unsealed — in the trial of the five men accused as conspiring to direct, train and finance the 19 hijackers who killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001....[emphasis mine]

 GO read the rest of this here, as the ripples from the Democrats self-serving rush to smear anybody and everything continues to have consequences.

Related:  Another 'get out of jail free' card about to be dealt?: All I want to know is: Have they forgotten me? Guantanamo Bay detainee's emotionally charged first call to his London family for 2 1/2 years

GITMO releases:"... dangerous and, frankly, reckless"

For this administration, all politics, all the time.  The insanity continues.

From DoD:

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Release No: NR-609-14
December 07, 2014

Detainee Transfer Announced

The Department of Defense announced today the transfer of Ahmed Adnan Ahjam, Ali Hussain Shaabaan, Omar Mahmoud Faraj, Abdul Bin Mohammed Abis Ourgy, Mohammed Tahanmatan, and Jihad Diyab from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to the Government of Uruguay.

As directed by the president's Jan. 22, 2009, executive order, the interagency Guantanamo Review Task Force conducted a comprehensive review of this case. As a result of that review, which examined a number of factors, including security issues, these men were unanimously approved for transfer by the six departments and agencies comprising the task force.

In accordance with statutory requirements, the secretary of defense informed Congress of the United States’ intent to transfer these individuals and of his determination that this transfer meets the statutory standard.

The United States is grateful to the Government of Uruguay for its willingness to support ongoing U.S. efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. The United States coordinated with the Government of Uruguay to ensure these transfers took place consistent with appropriate security and humane treatment measures.

Today, 136 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay.

From NBC News:

[...]

The release comes amid efforts to step up the pace of transfers in light of President Barack Obama's efforts to close the facility. Earlier this month, outgoing House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-CA) expressed hesitance over the increased pace of releases.

"What the Obama Administration is doing is dangerous and, frankly, reckless. They have chosen many times to put politics above national security," he said.

Clifford Sloan, special envoy for Guantanamo Closure at the State Department, said Sunday the U.S. was grateful to Uruguay for offering a home for the detainees.

"The support we are receiving from our friends and allies is critical to achieving our shared goal of closing Guantanamo, and this transfer is a major milestone in our efforts to close the facility," he said in a statement.

Go over there and watch the GITMO video...

GITMO: Obama still determined to fast track the closure

Remember this?



President Barack Obama began overhauling U.S. treatment of terror suspects Thursday, signing orders to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center, review military trials of suspects and ban the harshest interrogation methods. (Jan. 22)


That was his FIRST Executive Order.

Despite his election promise, the MIC has been thwarted in his stated goals by an uncooperative Congress over the years.  Never one to take "NO" for an answer, the MIC has continued to release GITMO residents a few at a time, one of the most egregious being the recent swap for Bergdahl.

Remember these guys?

Terrorist Exchanged For Bowe Bergdahl Now Top ISIS Commander 
16 September 2014

Mullah Mohammed Fazi, one of the five Guantanamo Bay detainees released by the Obama administration in exchange for Bowe Bergdahl, has been confirmed to be currently in Iraq. Fazi, the Taliban’s former Defense Minister, is serving in a leadership capacity within the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.

Reports indicate that Fazi, classified by a 2008 Pentagon dossier as being considered a high risk to the United States if released, appears to be heavily engaged in the systematic murder of Iraqs non-Sunni population. 

To those of us paying attention, this is not news.   About the same time as this release was happening, Vice News published this:

At its peak, Guantanamo held 779 prisoners. Under President George W. Bush's tenure, 532 detainees were released from the detention facility. Of those, 101 — or 19 percent — were confirmed to have re-engaged. (ODNI reports that 23 of the 101 are dead and 25 are back in custody.) Another 76, or 14.3 percent, were suspected of re-engagement.


A report last March in the Christian Science Monitor noted that the recidivism rate at Guantanamo is far lower than the US prison recidivism rate, which is more than 60 percent. But the ODNI statistics can be manipulated — and have been repeatedly in attacks by partisan lawmakers. [emphasis mine]


"The recidivism rate is nearly 29 percent and has been climbing steadily since detainees began being released from Guantanamo," Senator Saxby Chambliss said last November during a congressional debate about whether to loosen restrictions to make it easier for Obama to release cleared detainees. "This includes nearly 10 percent of detainees who have returned to the fight after being transferred by the current administration following the administration's extensive review of each detainee."
[...]
Raha Wala, the senior counsel with Human Rights First's Law & Security Program, said that while progress on closing Guantanamo has been "disappointingly slow, there has been real progress nonetheless, and the Obama administration can, with enough focus and commitment, close Guantanamo by the end of the President's second term."

Read the rest of that report here. 

THAT is the goal, as Obama stated so often during - and since - his first run for the Presidency.

Now comes this from Fox News:

Pentagon prepares for more detainee releases from Guantanamo Bay
November 29, 2014

The Pentagon is preparing to transfer more detainees from Guantanamo Bay in coming weeks despite continued Republican opposition, according to defense and congressional officials.


The Wall Street Journal reports that, after five detainees were transferred last week, there will be another round in December, but defense officials refused to disclose further information on their numbers or nationalities.


Rep. Howard McKeon, R-Calif, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, complained at a recent hearing of an increase in notifications by the administration to lawmakers on coming transfers from the detainment facility.


President Obama promised since before he took office that he would close the controversial detention center, a move that has been opposed by many Republicans.


The transfers come shortly after the announcement of the resignation of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who was criticized by administration officials who spoke to The Wall Street Journal for moving too slowly to certify detainees for release....

Read the rest here, where it is clear as day that these movements are all about politics, all the time, NOT the security of America.
Are YOU paying attention?

GITMO: 'Get out of jail card' issued at 3AM

In case you missed this. 3AM the US Department of Defense announced the release of another GITMO resident. The timing, of course, gives new meaning to the much-used Friday news dump - a favourite of the current administration.

Muhammed Murdi Issa al Zahrani

Muhammed Murdi Issa al Zahrani is a 44- or 45-year-old citizen of Saudi Arabia. As of January 2010, the Guantánamo Review Task Force had recommended him for continued detention. As of Nov. 22, 2014, he has been held at Guantánamo for 12 years three months.

Another 'high intelligence value'...'high threat...' resident of GITMO heads to Saudi Arabia.

From the DoD:

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Release No: NR-588-14
November 22, 2014

Detainee Transfer Announced

The Department of Defense announced today the transfer of Muhammed Murdi Issa Al-Zahrani from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

On Oct. 3, a Periodic Review Board consisting of representatives from the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, and State; the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence determined continued law of war detention of Al-Zahrani does not remain necessary to protect against a continuing significant threat to the security of the United States. As a result of that review, which examined a number of factors, including security issues, Al-Zahrani was recommended for transfer by consensus of the six departments and agencies comprising the Periodic Review Board.

"In the past three weeks, the Department of Defense has transferred seven detainees. These transfers include both the first Yemenis since 2010 and two transfers involving detainees made eligible by the Periodic Review Board process. A total of 13 detainees have been transferred this year. This strikes a responsible balance and reflects the careful deliberation the Secretary of Defense brings to the transfer process, and follows a rigorous process in the interagency to review several items including security review prior to any transfer," said Mr. Paul Lewis, Special Envoy for Guantanamo Detention Closure

In accordance with statutory requirements, the secretary of defense informed Congress of the United States' intent to transfer this individual and of his determination that this transfer meets the statutory standard.

The Periodic Review Board process was established by the president's March 7, 2011 Executive Order (EO) 13567.

The United States is grateful to the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its willingness to support ongoing U.S. efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. The United States coordinated with the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to ensure this transfer took place consistent with appropriate security and humane treatment measures.

Today, 142 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay.

More information:
Periodic Review Secretariat
http://www.prs.mil/

Is ANYbody out there paying ATTENTION? 

GITMO: Another resident handed 'get out of jail free' card

 Fouzi Khalid Abdullah Al Awda

 As I type this, he is on his way...and yes, he is a member of AlQaeda and an extremist recruiter.  Go read this.

From the DoD:

 IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Release No: NR-559-14
November 05, 2014






The Department of Defense announced today the transfer of Fouzi Khalid Abdullah Al Awda from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to the Government of Kuwait.



 On July 14, a Periodic Review Board consisting of representatives from the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, State; the Joint Staff, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence determined continued law of war detention of Al Awda does not remain necessary to protect against a continuing significant threat to the security of the United States.



 As a result of that review, which examined a number of factors, including security issues, Al Awda was recommended for transfer by consensus of the six departments and agencies comprising the Periodic Review Board.



In accordance with statutory requirements, the secretary of defense informed Congress of the United States’ intent to transfer this individual and of his determination that this transfer meets the statutory standard.



The Periodic Review Board process was established by the president's March 7, 2011 Executive Order (EO) 13567.



The United States is grateful to the Government of Kuwait for its willingness to support ongoing U.S. efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. The United States coordinated with the Government of Kuwait to ensure this transfer took place consistent with appropriate security and humane treatment measures.



Today, 148 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay.

[Related - must read : Former ‘forever prisoner’ leaves Guantánamo for Kuwait 


Report:  GITMO prisoners join forces with ISIS ]


PAY ATTENTION, America.

GITMO: Chief Prosecutor delaying retirement

From Miami Herald:

Due to retire, Guantánamo prosecutor gets 3 more years on jobBY CAROL ROSENBERG09/19/2014


The Pentagon has extended the career of the chief war crimes prosecutor into the first year of the next president of the United States, a move designed to instill stability and confidence in the on-again, off-again war crimes trials at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

Army Brig. Gen. Mark Martins, 54, was due to retire from service in November. Instead, said Army Lt. Col. Myles B. Caggins III, the Department of the Army has delayed the general’s retirement “until November 2017 specifically for him to continue performing the duties of Chief Prosecutor, Office of Military Commissions, Washington, D.C., for an additional three years.”

The move is not a surprise. Martins, a career Army officer, has for more than a year been telling victims he wants to see the Sept. 11 and USS Cole death-penalty cases through....

Much more here.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/guantanamo/article2170545.html#storylink=cpy

9/11: KSM Obama's new pen pal? Plus other GITMO updates

The quest for justice against the 9/11 co-conspirators is still ongoing at GITMO Military Tribunals..As various GITMO notorious alumni might be grabbing headlines, the "alleged" perpetrators of the worst terrorist attack - thus far - on US soil, continue to manipulate the American justice system to delay paying the piper.

Two weeks ago, the Tribunal was convened for one of its regularly scheduled sessions.. Ultimately, what should have been one week's worth of Hearings became but one MORNING, as the defendants continued to prove their utter contempt for American rule of law.

First there was this, from the Miami Herald:

Alleged 9/11 plotters don Palestinian attire in courtroom Gaza protest

Khalid Sheik Mohammed and the others return to court for a four-hour hearing, their only one of the week, that goes no further in resolving what defense lawyers consider a paralyzing conflict-of-interest question.

By Carol Rosenberg

8.14.20`14

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVY BASE, Cuba -- Lawyers for the 9/11 accused sparred with a federal attorney Thursday over whether FBI agents secretly questioning their staff stirred a potential ethical issue that paralyzes progress in the case. The judge didn’t resolve it.

Meanwhile, the alleged Sept. 11 plotters waged a silent protest by donning Palestinian attire. The alleged mastermind, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, wore a black checked headdress to court instead of his typical red one and his nephew, Ammar al Baluchi, traded his usual Kuwaiti headscarf for a Palestinian skullcap in what defense attorney James Connell called a “mute, silent expression of solidarity with the people of Gaza.”

David Nevin said his client Mohammed — who once bragged he was responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks “from A to Z” — was so disturbed by news accounts that he had written President Barack Obama directly, about Gaza and “a number of matters.” He called the headscarf switch “a statement of solidarity for the Gazans, for the Palestinians, about what is going on in Gaza right now.”

The lawyers for the five men accused of training, financing, and organizing the 19 hijackers of the Sept. 11 attacks explained the protest after a four-hour hearing. It was their only collective war-court date this week in the case that has been shadowed by the defense lawyers’ discovery that FBI agents had secretly been talking to some defense-team members....

Yes, there is more on that week's GITMO's shenanigans here.

As referenced above, KSM who boasts of his role in the tragedy of  9/11, felt the need to share his thoughts on world events with the current POTUS: 

Accused 9/11 mastermind has written to Obama; Will U.S. military let letter out of Guantánamo?

8.15.2014

  By CAROL ROSENBERG

  GUANTANAMO BAY NAVY BASE, Cuba -- Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the man who once bragged that he ran the Sept. 11 terror attacks “from A to Z,” has written President Barack Obama about his views on the situation in Gaza and other current events.

But the military has yet to say if and how it will ever reach the White House.

Mohammed’s defense attorney, David Nevin, disclosed the existence of the letter at a news conference Thursday. In it, he said, Mohammed complains about “Muslim oppression at the hands of the West in general and the United States in particular.” Topics include his views on what happened in Iraq during the period of U.S. sanctions and “events in Palestine and Gaza over the years.”

Nevin said he doubts the letter contains classified information — although he noted that Obama, as president of the United States, has the sweeping power to declassify it.

[...]

Meantime, the question remained open Friday: Who has the authority to mail a letter from the alleged 9/11 mastermind to the Constitutional Law professor turned commander-in-chief from a place where the war court is still resolving which portions of the U.S. Constitution apply?

More from Carol Rosenberg on this latest here.... Many other links there  to different aspects of the ongoing Tribunal.

Meanwhile, maybe somebody should tell KSM that a) nobody gives a damn what he thinks or b) even if MIC did care, he is far too *busy* on the golf course. 

As always, the Office of Military Commissions site has regular updates/transcripts.

Related:  Defense lawyers: How would Gitmo convict be executed? - 

                 GUANTANAMO BAY NAVY BASE, Cuba — Defense attorneys for the likely first former CIA captive to get a death-penalty trial at Guantanamo asked a war court judge Tuesday to order the Pentagon to declare how the U.S. military would execute the alleged USS Cole bomber, if he’s convicted.

The question came up at a pretrial hearing in the case of Abd al Rahim al Nashiri, 49, accused of orchestrating al-Qaida’s suicide bombing of the USS Cole warship off Yemen in October 2000. Seventeen U.S. sailors died in the attack.

The Saudi’s defense lawyers invoked a string of botched U.S. executions by lethal injection in their argument that the Pentagon should settle on a mode of military execution before Nashiri’s proposed February trial....

The rest of this one is here. 

Appeals court overturns two convictions of Guantánamo’s lone life-sentence prisoner

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/07/14/4235707/appeals-court-vacates-two-convictions.html?fb_action_ids=674831952593099&fb_action_types=og.comments#storylink=cpy

Prosecutor opposes order to separate Yemeni from joint 9/11 trial

Omar Khadr case: CBC and other media seek access for interview: Ex-Guantanamo detainee in custody in Canada willing to talk, but federal departments blocking media access

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/08/15/4291219/accused-911-mastermind-has-written.html#storylink=cpy

ead more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/08/15/4291219/accused-911-mastermind-has-written.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/08/15/4291219/accused-911-mastermind-has-written.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/08/15/4291219/accused-911-mastermind-has-written.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/08/14/4290191/guantanamo-911-plotters-don-palestinian.html#morer#storylink=cpyGITMO

I am on the record as stating I do not believe that our 9/11 families and others directly affected by that day will see justice during the current POTUS' tenure. His actions have proved that he has more concern for the 'rights' and freedoms of the GITMO residents than he does for the safety of US citizens (recidivism rates of the GITMO alumni, anyone?)  He continues to pursue his oft-repeated election promise to close GITMO, and continues to arbitrarily release detainees - most recently without congressional approval of the notorious five in exchange for Bergdahl. Not bad for "we don't negotiate with terrorists" huh?

Be that as it may, I DO hold fast to my belief that there WILL be justice for our 9/11 families. Even if the majority of the msm has moved on, ultimately all the manipulations and games by the 'defendants' will end, and justice WILL be seen to be served..