Bush Pressing Ahead With Military Commission Prosecutions

William Glaberson reports in The New York Times today that the Bush administration is pressing ahead with charging and trying more Guantanamo detainees. Needless to say, this could complicate the next administration’s ability to close down the infamous detention center and accompanying military commissions.

According to the Times, the chief military prosecutor for Guantanamo said he would file new charges against Mohammed al-Qahtani, a Saudi who’s been called the 20th hijacker in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He was denied entry into the United States at an Orlando, Florida airport in August 2001.

A military official dismissed earlier charges against him last May without comment. But the dismissal was most likely due to the way evidence was extracted, and highlights just the sorts of problems any prosecutor will have trying these cases.

According to public military documents, writes the Times, al-Qahtani’s interrogation included “prolonged isolation, sleep deprivation, forced nudity, exposure to cold, involuntary grooming as well as requiring him to dance with a male interrogator and to obey dog commands, including ‘stay,’ ‘come’ and ‘bark.’ ”

Gee, think that could raise questions about the reliability of his statements? 

I’ve followed how this sort of systematic abuse and humiliation and the larger debate it has prompted about what to do with people like al-Qahtani now. I’m working on a piece on this that will run this week.