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Reporters, Attorneys Barred From Guantanamo Bay

The US has barred journalists and lawyers from the military prison at Guantanamo

Bay. A group of visiting reporters was forced off the island Wednesday under a

directive from the Pentagon. A Pentagon spokesperson said the removal was

ordered following complaints from other media outlets who had complained they

were being denied equal access. But questions are being raised over whether the

removals were motivated by the reporters’ coverage of the aftermath of

Saturday’s three detainee suicides. Their articles included interviews with

the detainees’ attorneys who criticized their clients’ treatment. The

reporters work for the Los Angeles Times, the Miami Herald and the Charlotte

Observer. A Pentagon spokesperson said the revoking of the permissions came not

from Guantanamo commanders but from the office of Defense Secretary Donald

Rumsfeld.

 

Meanwhile, lawyers representing Guantanamo detainees have also been barred from

visiting their clients at the prison. A lawyer representing a group of detainees

said she was told the ban will be lifted on Monday. In a statement, the Center

for Constitutional Rights, which has represented scores of detainees, said: " At

a time when the administration must be transparent about the deaths at

Guantanamo, they are pulling down a wall of secrecy and avoiding public

accountability. This crackdown on the free press makes everyone ask what else

they are hiding down there… The Bush Administration is afraid of American

reporters, afraid of American attorneys and afraid of American laws. "

 

Lawyers Fault US Military For Failing to Report Suicides

Meanwhile, lawyers for the detainees who committed suicide have criticized the

U.S. military for taking nearly three days to inform them of their clients’

deaths. The military initially claimed none of the men had legal representation

but later realized their mistake. The news comes as the Pentagon has rejected

calls from Amnesty International for an independent inquiry into the suicides.

 

Amidst the latest controversy, President Bush addressed Guantanamo at a press

conference yesterday at the White House.

 

President Bush: " I'd like to close Guantanamo, but I also recognise that we're

holding some people that are darn dangerous, and that we better have a plan to

deal with them in our courts. And the best way to handle -- in my judgement,

handle these types of people is through our military courts. And that's why

we're waiting on the Supreme Court to make a decision. Part of closing

Guantanamo is to send some folks back home, like we've been doing. And the State

Department is in the process of encouraging countries to take the folks back. Of

course, sometimes we get criticised for sending some people out of Guantanamo

back to their home country because of the nature of the home country. It's a

little bit of a Catch-22.â€

US To Release Gitmo’s Afghan Detainees

In other news from Guantanamo, the US has announced it will soon extradite all

96 Afghan detainees currently held at the prison. The group includes several

suspected Taliban officials. The detainees will be returned to Afghanistan where

they will either be released or face trial.

 

62 Killed Aboard Sri Lanka Passenger Bus

In Sri Lanka, 62 people were killed when their passenger bus ran over a land

mine. Government forces blamed the rebel group Tamil Tigers and began bombing

Tiger-held areas. The Tigers strongly denied responsibility.

 

Ex-Prisoners Lose Right To Sue Saudi Arabian Captors

In Britain, four men who claimed they were tortured during lengthy detentions in

Saudi Arabian prisons have lost the right to sue their former captors. On

Wednesday, the House of Lords ruled Saudi Arabian officials are protected by

state immunity laws and cannot be brought to trial on British soil. The men were

arrested in 2001 and accused of carrying out a series of bombing attacks. While

in jail they say they were tortured - including being beaten, raped and deprived

of sleep. One of the men, William Sampson, spoke to Democracy Now! last November

William Sampson: “The beatings started from the very, very start. Within a

couple of days, the beatings had progressed from just punching, kicking, being

thrown around the room, having my testicles stood on, to being lain down on the

floor in a hog-tied position, hands shackled behind my back and attached to my

ankles, and then beaten over the soles of the feet.â€

 

Lebanon Claims Capture of Mossad-Backed Assassin

In Lebanon, the army is claiming a suspected assassin has confessed to murdering

senior Hizbollah and Palestinian guerrillas on behalf of Mossad, the Israeli

intelligence agency. According to the Lebanese military officials, the suspect,

Mahmoud Rafeh, said he was a leading member of a cell behind at least three

other major assassinations in Lebanon. Rafeh was arrested last week in

connection with the recent murder of two members of Islamic Jihad. Hizbollah and

Islamic Jihad have long accused Israel of being behind a string of attacks that

have killed their members. Hizbollah has battled Israeli forces in Southern

Lebanon since the Israeli invasion of 1982.

 

2,000 Immigrants Arrested in DHS Sweep

Here in the United States, the Department of Homeland Security has announced

more than 2,000 undocumented immigrants have been arrested in a massive

crackdown that began last month. Government officials said close to half of

those arrested have criminal records. Just over 800 people have already been

deported.

 

Bush Admin Eases EPA Law Following Industry Complaints

The Bush administration is being accused of undermining an environmental

regulation at the request of energy and oil companies. According to the Los

Angeles Times, the White House pressured the Environmental Protection Agency to

loosen rules that would have forced companies to keep groundwater clean near oil

drilling sites and other construction zones. The intervention was made after

complaints by energy companies and a direct appeal from a Texas oil executive to

White House senior advisor Karl Rove. In 2002, the executive, Ernest Angelo,

wrote Rove the proposed regulations were causing many in the oil industry to

doubt supporting Republicans “when we wind up with this type of stupidity. "

Rove forwarded the letter to top presidential environmental advisors and

instructed them to respond. The EPA later modified the rules even after Congress

had agreed on a detailed compromise. The new regulations went into effect this

week. Sharon Buccino, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's land

program called the rule change: " yet another example of the Bush administration

rewarding their friends in the oil and gas industry at the expense of the

environment and the public's health. "

 

Lawmakers Protest Constraints on House Iraq War Debate

On Capitol Hill, the House will debate a resolution on the Iraq war today.

Critics say the wording of the resolution will preclude any meaningful debate.

The text of the resolution declares: “that the United States will prevail in

the Global War on Terror [and] the struggle to protect freedom from the

terrorist adversary. " House rules will prevent Congress members from proposing

amendments or alternative resolutions. At a press conference Wednesday, a

bi-partisan group of lawmakers stood with yellow rope tied around their hands to

symbolize what they called the lack of debate. Hawaiian Democrat Neil

Abercrombie explained: " Our hands are tied literally on the floor of the

people's house -- the one place that the American people should be able to

expect a full and honest and open debate.â€

 

 

Defending this corruption on which you are sat

You tell me what to think, you tell me this and that

`Freedom is O.K. you scum` but make sure it`s never used

In your defence of liberty I always stand accused