hink tank plans study of how US treats detainees

A nonpartisan legal think tank plans to study U.S. treatment of terrorism detainees, partly out of concern that the country’s policies lack clarity and can be manipulated to permit abuse or torture in dangerous times, members of a task force appointed to conduct the study said. Eleanor J. Hill, one of three chairpersons on The [...]

Supreme Court asks US government to offer views in Saleh et al v CACI International

The Supreme Court opened a new Term on Monday by asking the federal government to offer its views on  lawsuits against private contractors who work overseas for the U.S. military.  The new case involves former Iraqi civilian detainees who had been held at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison that the U.S. military operated in Baghdad [...]

Judge Denies Motion to Dismiss Abu Ghraib Torture Case in Wissam Abdullateff Sa’eed Al-Quraishi, et al., v. Adel Nakhla, et al.

A group of 72 Iraqi citizens who allege they were tortured while imprisoned at detention facilities across Iraq can continue with their lawsuit against military contractor L-3 Services, Inc. and a former employee, a federal judge in Maryland ruled. In a 92-page opinion, U.S. District Court Judge Peter J. Messitte denied the defendants’ motions to [...]

Military court hearing Graner’s Abu Ghraib appeal

The Associated Press reports that the U.S. military’s highest court is set to hear the appeal of the alleged ringleader of assaults on detainees at Abu Ghraib (grayb) prison in Iraq in 2003. Spc. Charles Graner, of Uniontown, Pa., is serving a 10-year sentence for stacking naked prisoners into a pyramid, knocking one of them [...]

Alkarama submits Iraqi torture case to UN

Abdenasser Hassan, a Palestinian from Lebanon, was arrested in Iraq by U.S. military forces in 2003 and eventually released in August 2009 without ever having been tried. He claims to be severely tortured throughout his detention. On 8 March 2010, Alkarama submitted his case to the Special Rapporteur on Torture, requesting his intervention with the [...]

DOJ clears Bush administration lawyers of professional misconduct allegations

(Jurist) The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has overruled the findings of a report released Friday 19 February concluding that two Bush administration lawyers committed professional misconduct when they wrote memos  authorizing the use of certain interrogation techniques that critics have called torture. Instead, the DOJ said that John Yoo and Jay Bybee were only [...]

US military appeals court upheld Abu Ghraib guards convictions

(Jurist) On Friday 5 February 2010, the US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces upheld the convictions of two soldiers found guilty of offenses committed as guards at Abu Ghraib prison. Army Spc. Sabrina Harman had been convicted of conspiracy, dereliction of duty and maltreatment of prisoners dating back to November 2003. Sgt. Michael [...]

Louisiana Court Battle Over Guantanamo Psychologist

Attorneys filed an appeal before the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal, in the case Dr. Trudy Bond v. Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists this week. Toledo-based psychologist Dr. Trudy Bond is calling on the Louisiana State Board of Examiners to investigate Louisiana psychologist and retired U.S. Army colonel Dr. Larry C. James, [...]

Military court will hear appeals in Abu Ghraib case

AP reports that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, the U.S. military’s highest court, is set to hear appeals next month of two cases stemming from the abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. On Oct. 8, Pvt. Michael Smith will challenge his conviction for having his dog bark and lunge [...]

Military high court to hear Abu Ghraib appeals

AP reports that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, the U.S. military’s highest court, is set to hear appeals next month of two cases stemming from the abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. On Oct. 8, Pvt. Michael Smith will challenge his conviction for having his dog bark and lunge [...]