A new Report on Guantanamo Detainees [pdf] based on the documents provided by US military and compiled by Seton Hall Law Professor Mark Denbeaux and attorney Joshua Denbeaux[represents two Guantanamo prisoners] finds:
- "Fifty-five percent (55%) of the detainees are not determined to have committed any hostile acts against the United States or its coalition allies.
- Only 8% of the detainees were characterized as al Qaeda fighters. Of the remaining detainees, 40% have no definitive connection with al Qaeda at all and 18% have no definitive affiliation with either al Qaeda or the Taliban.
- The Government has detained numerous persons based on mere affiliations with a large number of groups that in fact, are not on the Department of Homeland Security terrorist watchlist. Moreover, the nexus between such a detainee and such organizations varies considerably.
Eight percent are detained because they are deemed “fighters for;” 30% considered “members of;” a large majority – 60% — are detained merely because they are “associated with” a group or groups the
Government asserts are terrorist organizations. For 2% of the prisoners their nexus to any terrorist group is unidentified.
- Only 5% of the detainees were captured by United States forces. 86% of the detainees were arrested by either Pakistan or the Northern Alliance and turned over to United States custody."
Let’s investigate a little further about the 86% of the captives handed over either by Northern Alliance or Pakistan. It other words "more than 440 men out of the total of 517 at Guantanamo were handed over to the Americans in Afghanistan and Pakistan" in exchange for "big financial bounties". [BBC: No Surprises in the War on Terror] These captives were taken as a result of notices like (excerpt from an actual US notice) "Get wealth and power beyond your dreams... You can receive millions of dollars helping the anti-Taleban forces catch al-Qaeda and Taleban murderers.
"This is enough money to take care of your family, your village, your tribe for the rest of your life." [BBC quoting the report]
The report comes on heels of news reports that five men from China's northern province had been mistakenly detained in Guantanamo for more than four years.
"US military has found that the men, members of the besieged Uighur ethnic group, are not enemy combatants." [Christian Science Monitor]
As recently as last month, over 80 prisoners in Guantanamo were on a hunger-strike and UN special rapporteur on torture, Manfred Nowak, expressed his concern at the force feeding methods being practiced by the US military. [BBC]
Article comments
1 - RedTard
Title:
"Report Says 92% of Gitmo Prisonsers Not Affiliated with Al-Qaeda"
Body:
"40% have no definitive connection with al Qaeda"
Amazing a 52% increase in their al Qaeda affiliation during the time it takes to write an article on blogcritics. Also, the fact that the study was written by a lawyer for the detainees suggests to me that it might include just a bit of bias.
By all means, don't let the percieved notion that a lawyer for the detainees is not an 'objective' source (who knows what that means anyway) stand in the way of a good Bush bashing.
2 - Gaurav
RedTard: Firstly, The headline does need to be modified to say 92% not Al-Qaeda fighters and not talk about affiliation.
Secondly your criticsm about rest of the study is bogus. Seton Hall professor never represented detainees and he led the report and the report is based on publically available data. I think it would be particularly disastrous for a professor to write a false report based on publically accessible data. I don't doubt the objectivity of report. Secondly, I don't see the article as Bush bashing but failure in Pentagon to idenity the right people that need to be put in Gitmo. If you want to connect the dots (and there are many - Bush is on record saying Gitmo prisoners are extremely dangerous..) be my guest.
3 - chancelucky
Nice article Gaurav. Puts the hunger strikes and the denial of due process issues in an interesting light.
4 - lumpy
if this professor can figure out who is and is not a terrorist then I should think the US military could do the same thing and dump the ones who are just ordinary thugs and villains.
5 - Howard
I take this report as similar in truth to the earlier report from "unnamed sources" that Cheney shot his homosexual lover in a lover's spat over the weekend.
When we were at war with Germany and Japan, was there ever a cry for the prosecution or release of prisoners of war? Radical Islamists are pledged to murder all infidels. If you are an infidel, do you really want these guys run around loose?
Howard
6 - Scott Butki
Are the numbers supposed to total 100 percent? Cause they don't.
Howard mentions my satire piece which was labelled as such.
But when I see stories like this one and Dave's yesterday I have to question these statistics. It makes it sound like we have gallup walking around the prisons or iraq cities taking polls and I just find that a bit hard to believe.
7 - Mark Schannon
Boys and Girls, let's play nice in the sandbox.
To those who want to play numbers and statistics games all day, I have only one thing to say--are you smoking dope & why haven't you shared it with us????
Is there a sentient being on the planet that doubts that this great land of liberty is holding American citizens and foreign nationals in total violation of everything we stand for? Have we so lost our way as a nation that we'll tolerate a few thousand detainees for years with no access to their families or lawyers on the off chance that 5 or 10% might be terrorists?
By all means wage the war against terrorism. Of course, the Bush Bubble Machine might have thought of that when they pulled most of the special forces out of Afghanistan to create the Messopotamia (with thanks to John Stewart.) Just when we had Osama "Now you see me, now you don't" Bin Laden where we wanted him, we sent the troops best able to catch the little shit off to fight a strange war in a strange land. (With thanks to Gonzo.)
Forget the math--think of the Army-McCarthy Commie Hunt hearings. And remember the simple plea, "at long last, have you no decency, have you no honor?"
Where is America's honor? Search your nearest outhouse.
In Jamesons Veritas
8 - Gaurav
I am surprised at how compromising American security by jailing pointless nobody's is considered pro-American by right wing nuts like Messrs Scott, Howard and lumpy...
Lets move on from the criminal incapability of Bush admin that puts in a few inconsequential people in prison and does hours of chest thumping to the depravity of the administration's cheerleaders like Messrs Scott, Howard, RedTard and lumpy ...These right wing cheerleaders misguidedly believe that if they can beat back honest criticisms of the policy and questions about the capability - they will do a great service to America. Dear Dimwits - I have news for you - you are hurting America by your ignorance. If administration chooses to engage with people who questions their intelligence and 'intelligence', America can craft a better policy and not hurry into pointless wars.
I pay tax dollars to this government and I want to damn well make sure that my tax dollars are not wasted catching and holding people with nothing to do with terrorism. Of course Messrs Scotty et all don't pay their taxes making their living out of a trailer.
9 - troll
*Is there a sentient being on the planet that doubts that this great land of liberty is holding American citizens and foreign nationals in total violation of everything we stand for? Have we so lost our way as a nation that we'll tolerate a few thousand detainees for years with no access to their families or lawyers on the off chance that 5 or 10% might be terrorists?*
the basic questions simply stated - hats off to Mark
unfortunately discussion of possible solutions to government overreach is severly limited - what with the seditious conspiracy law and all
here's a read
troll
10 - Scott Butki
Wait? I'm a right wing cheerleader?
I didn't get my pom poms and I'm pretty sure the repubs wouldn't like this piece I wrote about Cheney being gay.
11 - Mark Schannon
Scott...sorry, once you get labelled...you're toast.
Troll...thanks & good article. Check this one out from todays Wash. Post if you want more grist for the vomitorium. Science Under Seige
In Jamesons Veritas
12 - Scott Butki
Damn, does this mean I have to give up my aclu and dem party membership
13 - Scott Butki
I'm still waiting to hear how you determined I'm truly a republican and I only think I'm not.
14 - Mark Schannon
Scott, once the paint is splashed, it requires long and extensive surgery to remove it. Easier to hand in your ACLU card--you commie-- & Dem party membership and send a big contribution to Dubya.
Sorry...wish there was something I could do to help. Go see Gonzo. He may have a magic formula.
In Jamesons Veritas