I hope to get caught up on all things Gitmo during this coming week. Meanwhile here is an update on the conditions for the attorneys for the men at Gitmo and the forever decreasing number of hours we can spend with our clients after making the long journey. This shrinking schedule will definitely impact my ability to prepare -with my client- his appeal.
David Remes’ Latest GTMO Adventures
I returned from GTMO on Thursday, unexpectedly soon. I had flown down on Monday for an extended visit, but the visit was cut short when I and others were evacuated in the face of the threat from Tropical Storm Isaac.
A surreal flight back
We boarded a chartered commercial jetliner, bound for Andrews AFB, which is how the military ferries habeas lawyers and individuals associated with military commission cases to and from the base. On board were members of families of 9/11 victims, military commission judges and officials, commission prosecutors and defense counsel, translators, and, at the very rear, NGO observers and the media, and me. Aptly, all involved in this sad drama, except the detainees themselves, were bound together in this self-contained reality.
Before the cabin door was closed, crew members came down the aisle and told those of us in the last 34 rows (the media, observers, and me) to relocate to empty seats further up, to make room for a contingent of prisoners. We were incredulous, but we had heard this from the crew, and we anticipated a spectacle. Journalists began twittering and unpacking recording devices. I planted myself in row 33, expecting to see some of my clients. After about 15 minutes, crew members returned to tell us that it was all a misunderstanding and we could return to our original seats.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
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