Gitmo Lawyers Say Ruling Shows Military Commissions Illegitimate

January 25, 2013 – In response to today’s ruling by the D.C. Circuit vacating the conviction of Guantánamo prisoner Ali al-Bahlul, the Center for Constitutional Rights issued the following statement:
 
Today’s ruling is yet more proof that the ad hoc military commissions process is unjust, unconstitutional, and unworkable.  Ali al-Bahlul’s is the second case tried to a verdict  before a military commission—and the second conviction vacated by the federal courts.  An illegitimate process will yield an illegitimate result, and this ruling should be understood as yet another blow to a two-tiered system of justice.  We hope that the government will forgo further appeals in the Bahlul case, and focus on closing Guantánamo once and for all.  Rather than half-measures and indefinite detention, President Obama should provide fair trials for men who can be charged, and immediately release those whom he has no intention of charging, including the 86 men who have long been cleared for transfer. Today’s ruling is another clear indication that anything short of shuttering Guantánamo forever falls short of constitutional and human rights principles. 

The Center for Constitutional Rights works with communities under threat to fight for justice and liberation through litigation, advocacy, and strategic communications. Since 1966, the Center for Constitutional Rights has taken on oppressive systems of power, including structural racism, gender oppression, economic inequity, and governmental overreach. Learn more at ccrjustice.org.

 

Last modified 

January 3, 2014