Camp X-Ray

My First Two Days at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay

Touching Down at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay

Me in front of a US Naval Station Guantanamo Bay welcome sign

I traveled to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to monitor pre-trial hearings in the U.S. Military Commission case against Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri who is accused of planning the attack on the USS Cole off the coast of Yemen on 12 October 2000 that killed seventeen U.S. sailors and wounded dozens more. This New York Times article discusses the al-Nashiri case, including its victims, the prosecution and defense, and the Judge.

I explained in my previous blog posts all about my current mission to Guantanamo Bay, as a student at Indiana University McKinney School of Law (after being nominated by the school’s Military Commission Observation Project, which is part of the school’s Program in International Human Rights Law).

My plane from Joint Base Andrews (near Washington, DC) touched down at Guantanamo Bay at 1:20 p.m., Saturday, 23 July 2022, after 3 hours of flying over the ocean and Caribbean.

In this blog post, I talk about my arrival at Guantanamo, and my pre-arrival and post-arrival impressions of Guantanamo (it is not like I expected!). This post ends with my retiring to sleep in a frigid tent, anticipating Sunday morning breakfast at a Guantanamo military mess hall.

Touch down.

After an uneventful flight – on a comfortable charter plane where I watched episodes of The Office on the in-flight entertainment station – we deplaned on the extremely windy tarmac and queued outside a nondescript hangar-like building. Many of the buildings at NSGB are rectangular, one to two stories tall, beige or gray in color, with few windows and without any distinguishing features except for small signs indicating the building’s purpose.

Once inside, we showed our passports and U.S. government form 5512 to the people checking us in at a counter. They did not appear to be military, although three men in military uniforms were standing just inside the next door leading to the air terminal waiting area. I recall being slightly intimidated by their presence, not because they were acting threatening or holding large guns or doing anything out of the ordinary, but because I am not used to seeing members of the military anywhere except on television. That feeling of unease quickly wore off – members of the military are obviously all over the base at Guantanamo Bay, in uniform and not, and they are just regular people like the rest of us, going about their days, doing their jobs.

From the counter where they were checking documents, we were directed straight through the terminal waiting room, then back outside into the wind to two more busses waiting to pick us up. Our escort told us that our checked luggage would be following the busses, which were taking us to the ferry across Guantanamo Bay. We asked if it was always that windy and were told that it is around that area near the air terminal.

The Guantanamo Naval Station is on land around the body of water that is Guantanamo Bay, and the traditional way from the airstrip to the main part of the base is via ferry ride directly across the Bay.

The ferry

Once we arrived at the ferry dock on the Leeward Side, we all shuffled onto the ferry, with Tom, Yumna, our escort and I heading to the top deck.

We were reminded not to take pictures of “the golf ball” or the windmills. I had no idea what they meant by “the golf ball,” but figured I would know it when I saw it, since no one was taking pains to explain what that meant. I still do not really know what it is, but you can see it from multiple vantage points on base – it’s a tower on a hill with a large white dome at the top, which I assume (but do not know) is some type of radar or surveillance equipment. Throughout the trip, they basically reminded us not to take pictures of any infrastructure with antennas, fences, or construction sites, which is a very large percentage of the viewable landscape of the Naval Station.

What pictures we did get, although pretty, fail to capture how beautiful the Bay is with its crystal blue water, fossil covered cliffs, and desert style shrub grasses, cacti, and trees. It was not at all what I imagined (tropical island). It was closer to the landscape of Arizona or Southern California. The ferry ride was our first introduction to the beauty of Guantanamo Bay.

Upon docking at the other side of the Bay after an approximately twenty-minute ride, we boarded other buses that took us to a small building where we could get the ID badges we would need to enter the Expeditionary Legal Complex (ELC), which is where the Military Commissions are held.

We waited outside that building while the group in front of us finished up, then Tom, Yumna and I headed inside. This small building was our first exposure to the extreme air conditioning used in many buildings and tents at Guantanamo Bay; they keep it cold inside.

We also met more military guards and we noticed that many, if not a majority (based on my observations and one of my fellow traveler’s concurrences), of the military personnel at Guantanamo Bay are young, in their late teens and early twenties.

After showing our passports, the guards made our badges and handed them to us on lanyards. They told us not to photograph the badges, which we must return before we leave back for Washington, DC.

Then at about 4:00 PM, we finally headed to the tents that were scheduled to be our homes for the next week.

Tents and Dinner

The tents where we were assigned to live for the week are structured canvas / plastic supported by steel rods forming a half moon shape, about 25 feet long by 15 feet wide (rough approximation). Tom and I share a tent that has four cubicle rooms separated by wooden dividers, with a hallway in the middle and two rooms on each side of the hallway. Each room has a doorway with a thick curtain for privacy.

Each tent has a dedicated air conditioning unit to keep it cold – purportedly to prevent bugs and critters (for example banana rats and iguanas) from entering.

The tents have windows that we are planning to keep closed to keep in the cold air. The canvas is made of a thick material that blocks out sunlight. A switch on the electrical box just inside the front door of the tent controls the lantern lights strung up throughout the tent; one switch controls all the lights. It’s too dark to see inside without the lights, so Tom and I have to coordinate our sleeping schedules, so we do not keep each other awake. Alternatively, you can turn out the lights and work by flashlight in the tent.

Camp Justice has approximately 10 tents like these. This week, Tom, Yumna and I are the only ones staying in tents.

Each of the 4 rooms in each tent has a twin size bed, a dresser, small table, and outlets at the end of an extension cord connected to the lights. The outlets still work even if the lights are out, so there is no issue charging phones and laptops overnight. The extension cord has three, 3- pronged outlets.

A plastic bag in each room contained sheets for the bed and a blanket and pillowcases. Our tent did not have pillows, so Tom went to another tent and secured pillows for each of us. Yumna was assigned to an identical tent next to ours.

Across the road from the tents are three shipping containers: one contains a laundry room that is nicer than any laundromat I have ever been in; the middle container has six separate doors on the outside, each leading to a stall bathroom with toilet, urinal, and sink with mirror; the third also contains six separate doors leading to individual stalls each containing a shower, sink with mirror, and small bench.

The living conditions are much more comfortable than I had anticipated.

The showers and bathrooms are clean enough for my personal taste (although other observers have different opinions), and the beds are perfectly suitable for a good night’s sleep after long days exploring the island and witnessing sometimes emotional, and always legally complex, court hearings.

Dinner and Exploring the Island

On our first day, our escort picked us up at the tents at 5:00 PM to take us to dinner.

She explained some of the dining options: the bowling alley has two restaurants, Spinz and Bombers; The Windjammer Club has two restaurants, O’Kelly’s Irish Pub and The Windjammer; a restaurant called The Bayview; a McDonald’s; a Subway; and The Galley.

We went to the bowling alley, and could choose between Spinz and Bombers, as they are set up food court style and have different kitchens and two different menus (unlike O’Kelly’s and The Windjammer, which are dining room style restaurants that have the same food menu / kitchen).

At Spinz, I got a vegetarian wrap and a bottle of water. The tap water on base is not potable. Together my meal cost approximately $5.00.

At that point in the evening, around 5:30 PM, my mind was fried, and I was exhausted. A sense of unreality pervaded my mind, like I was finding myself in an episode of the Twilight Zone. I knew before going to Guantanamo Bay that there was a bowling alley and restaurants like McDonalds, but I did not expect it to be a 100% “Americanized” existence. I do not know why I did not expect that; it is a US Military Base.

But I had expected Cuban influence, and there is not a readily apparent Cuban influence on Base at Guantanamo Bay. We did hear about the Cuban Community Center that is near the Northeast Gate, and although we requested to visit several times throughout the week, we were not able to due to scheduling conflicts.

I had expected the existence of the prisoners and prison to be the center of focus and attention of everyone on base, but they are not even close to the center of attention.

Guantanamo looks like a typical small town or suburb in Indiana, with the exception that there are people in uniform here, with nondescript featureless buildings, and military vehicles all around. Experiencing suburban American life in a place that housed a former CIA black site where people were repeatedly tortured over a series of weeks to months in the early 2000’s, and where people are still held without charges. Of the 36 men at Guantanamo, 20 are being held without charges, but have been “recommended for transfer with security arrangements to another country.” The juxtaposition of being in the American suburbs, thinking before I left that I would be in a heavily Cuban influenced community focused on the detention center, creates a strong feeling of cognitive dissonance. That feeling would grow over my next few days.

After dinner, our escort gave us a tour around some of her favorite spots around the Base. We went to the Marina and Girl Scout Beach and got some beautiful pictures of the water and geography. We traveled to a road, surprisingly not far from residential areas of base, and pulled off to the side at a point where we could look down on Camp X-Ray, the first detention facility set up at Guantanamo Bay to house prisoners following the 9/11 attacks. We were told that we could not take pictures of Camp X-Ray, although some pictures exist on the internet. The link to the pictures also has a brief history of Camp X-Ray.

It was important to me personally to see Camp X-Ray. I had read about it. I had heard about it. Seeing it exist in person is a different experience. Any veil that was left over my eyes, coloring my perception of what the prisoners’ experiences were like here, neutralizing it, sanitizing it, was lifted. I have stood a stone’s throw from a site where men were tortured. I cynically wondered about the existence of black sites at Guantanamo Bay that may be kept hidden in the hills. Subsequently, through references in Court testimony and research online, I learned about the existence of a site called Camp Echo II at Guantanamo Bay, where Mr. Nashiri was held and tortured. This all happened during my lifetime, endorsed by the government that my tax dollars support; supported by the military/intelligence industrial complex that shows “Be All That You Can Be” advertisements on my television and on our city buses, that sets up recruiting tables in high school cafeterias; justified by politicians and military officers that still sit in positions of power. The use of evidence derived from “Enhanced Interrogation Techniques” is still being litigated in Court, including being litigated in military commissions at Guantanamo.

I would later speak to a police officer and member of the military at Guantanamo Bay (but not Military Police). This individual was 20 years old. He was born after the events of September 11, 2001. He told us that when he learned of his assignment to Guantanamo Bay, he wondered why that location sounded familiar. He is part of a generation of people who grew up without hearing Guantanamo Bay mentioned frequently on the network news.

The Rest of the Night

We got back to our tents at around 8:00 PM, with a plan to be picked up by our escort the next morning, Sunday the 23^rd, at 8:00 for breakfast.

I talked with Tom about his experiences as a Family Court judge in Ohio, his PhD in Judicial Studies, his dissertation, and his expectations for the upcoming week of court hearings. We then retired to our separate rooms, and I went to sleep at approximately 10:00 PM.

Sunday 24 July 2022

The next morning, I showered at approximately 6:30 AM. I let the water in the shower run until the rust was cleared from the pipes and the water ran clear. Shower shoes or flipflops are highly suggested in the showers, but they are generally clean facilities.

Our escort picked us up at 8:00 AM and took us to The Galley, where you can purchase an “all you can eat” breakfast for $3.85. There are a variety of options at The Galley for both vegetarians and meat eaters alike; I opted for garlic rice, hash browns, fresh cantaloupe and pineapple, waffles, and coffee. There is also a variety of cereals and pastries.

By the way, at the Gally you must pay in cash. They do not take cards. There is an ATM at the NEX (Navy Exchange), which is an all-purpose grocery and small department store.

We spent the rest of the day touring the island with our escort.

We went to a monument commemorating Christopher Columbus’ second landing in the Americas, the Lighthouse Museum, and “Windmill Hill,” which overlooks a large portion of the Base. Windmill Hill, colloquially so-called due to the four windmills perched across the crest, has the only view of the current detention facility that we would be able to see on this trip. It is miles away from the rest of the base, secluded, and mostly surrounded by hills and water. Looking in the other direction from the crest of the hill is a view of the rest of Base. We were told that we could not take pictures from the top of Windmill Hill.

Me imitating a cactus at Guantanamo Bay – the Base was full of cacti and desert flora

The Lighthouse Museum is a small four room structure sitting at the base of a lighthouse built in the early 1900’s as the only means of navigating the Bay at night before modern technology made the lighthouse obsolete. Now the lighthouse stands as a monument to a bygone era of seafaring and serves as a popular photography spot on Guantanamo Bay. Unfortunately, we were told that people are no longer (or at least not currently) allowed up in the lighthouse “due to safety concerns”.

The museum itself is stuffed full of pictures, maps, typed information, and artifacts outlining the history of the US presence in Cuba and specifically at Guantanamo. We probably spent more than an hour wandering the little museum.

We spent from 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM back at the tents resting and writing.

At 3:15 PM, Yumna and I drove with the escort to the library in town. The library looks like a typical branch library found in the United States, with rows of books, a children’s corner, a “free books” cart (from which anyone can take books without paying), and chairs and tables for reading.

We sat at the Library tables until 6:15 PM writing and talking about our experiences so far.

At 6:30 PM, we picked up Tom from the tents and went to dinner at the Windjammer Café, where I got a “non-meat” burger and sweet potato fries. I don’t know what the “non-meat” was, but it tasted good.

We retired to the tents for the night at approximately 8:30 PM, with an agreement to meet at 7:00 AM the next morning, Monday, to get breakfast at The Galley and be at the Expeditionary Legal Complex by 8:30 AM to get checked in for our first day of Court Hearings.

Timothy Morgan

J.D. Candidate 2025

NGO Observer, Military Commission Observation Project (MCOP)

Program in International Human Rights Law (PIHRL)

Indiana University McKinney School of Law

Arrival at Guantanamo Bay’s “Camp Justice”

Tents where we live at Guantanamo Bay’s Camp Justice.

[By Paul Logan. Posted by G. Edwards]

We made it

After a long day of traveling yesterday (Sunday, January 28), we arrived at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba’s, “Camp Justice,” which is a “tent city” where I and other representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will live for the next week. We are here to monitor U.S. military commission hearings against Hadi al Iraqi (also known as Nashwan al Tamir), who is accused of perpetrating war crimes in Pakistan and Afghanistan in the early 2000s. I am representing the Military Commission Observation Project of Indiana University McKinney School of Law, and traveled here with five observers from other NGOs: Zoe Weinberg (National Institute of Military Justice – NIMJ); Sarah Ruckriegle of Georgetown Law School; Kelly Mitchell (American Bar Association); Eric Helms (Human Rights First); and retired New York State Judge Kevin McKay (City Bar of New York).

Our flight to Guantanamo

We had an early start, as our “show time” at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington was at 6 a.m., for a flight scheduled for 10:20 a.m., which actually took off shortly after 11. We observers were told to sit together in three rows near the back of the chartered National Airlines plane. Others on the plane were seated in groups in different sections, including the judge and his staff (in the very front of the plane), employees of the Office of Military Commissions staff, defense lawyers, prosecutors, staffs of the prosecution and defense, court reporters, translators and interpreters, security officials, and Guantanamo Bay Press Corps Dean Carol Rosenberg of the Miami Herald. While victim’s and victim’s family members and panel or jury members are sometimes on these flights, I understand none of these were on our flight today. Also on this flight were defense lawyers who came down to visit their clients who are prisoners who are not involved with the Hadi / Nashwan al Tamir case we came to monitor.

national airways While there were some rough patches, it was generally an uneventful and uncrowded flight. The 757 can fit about 120 passengers, and there were a little over 80 on board, so each of us had three seats. I finished reading my copy of Know Before You Go to Guantanamo Bay, and began to draft this blog post. The manual, produced by Indiana’s Professor George Edwards, offers many suggestions on things to do when not involved in Military Commission activities, as well as how we can prepare substantively for our Gitmo mission. We had a very nice view of some islands out of my side of the plane, which I at first supposed to be the Bahamas, but because we were still a ways from Cuba, may have been the outer banks of North Carolina.

It was cool and rainy in Washington this morning and was sunny and beautiful here at Gitmo when we arrived after our 3-hour flight. After taxiing on the short airstrip on the leeward side of Guantanamo Bay, Naval Station authorities checked documents of the passengers. After we went through security, we met one of our escorts who will transport us around “the island,” as those here refer to the base, and boarded a ferry to cross from the across Guantanamo Bay from the leeward to the windward side of Gitmo (as the Naval Station is sometimes called).

Reaching Camp Justice

We NGOs were transported to our homes for the next week — tents in “Camp Justice”. We then made our first trip to the Expeditionary Legal Complex (ELC) to receive our badges that we have to wear when we go to court. The ELC complex contains Courtroom II in which cases are heard against high value detainees (HVDs), as well as judges’ chambers, trailers for the defense and prosecution, court offices, witness trailers, and holding areas for the detainees. We received a tutorial on not taking any photographs of any part of the ELC, and not bringing electronic devices to Court.

Evening

As our evening escort drove us to dinner, he received a phone call notifying him that the hearings set for today (Monday the 29^th) will be closed to observers, presumably because classified information will be discussed. We all knew that there was a possibility of closed hearings, but we were disappointed that hearings on the first day would be closed, as we are anxious to do what one of the things we came here to do — observe the proceedings. We all understand that sitting in the courtroom is only one of the things that NGOs do. Our NGO mission has 6 parts to it: We are here to attend, observe, be observed, analyze, critique, and report on all we experience, both inside and outside the courtroom. We look forward to talking with prosecutors, defense counsel, Office of Military Commission officials, Carol Rosenberg, and others whose experiences will enlighten us and help us to do our jobs as monitors.

What we did Monday when Court sessions were

Paul Logan - Radio Gitmo - with microphone

At Radio GTMO

closed

This morning our escorts took us to visit Radio GTMO, which operates three radio stations broadcast from the base. I purchased a bobblehead of Fidel Castro displaying the radio stations call letters on it. Thereafter, we took a look at Camp X-ray, where prisoners were first held here in 2002. Some may recall the photos in the news of detainees

An Igauna at the beach

in orange jumpsuits held in primitive outdoor “cages” surrounded by chain link fence and barbed wire. Several wooden guard towers ring the camp. Camp X-Ray has been closed for some time. We were informed that it has not been taken down as it is evidence in an ongoing case.

We then took the 2½ mile ridge line hike which has some dramatic vistas of the island, and saw a very large iguana. After our hike, it was time for some R&R at Glass Beach, not far from Camp Justice. We had another iguana visit on the beach.

A view from the Ridge. That’s Guantanamo Bay in the background. You can also see the part of Cuba over which the Cuban government exercises jurisdiction, outside the U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay.

We are all looking forward to finally seeing the inside of Courtroom II tomorrow, and finally observing the proceedings against Hadi al-Iraqi / Nashwan al Tamir.

Paul Logan, JD ‘94

Military Commission Observation Project

Program in International Human Rights Law

Indiana University McKinney School of Law

Second Day of the al Darbi Deposition in Hadi al Iraqi Guantanamo Bay Military Commission Case

NGO observers working in the NGO Resource Center after a day’s court session.

I have been in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba since Sunday, August 13th, 2017 serving as an NGO observer with the Indiana University McKinney School of Law’s Program in International Human Rights Law. The program is approved by the Pentagon to send observers to view proceedings that are a part of the military commission system. Other schools and organizations that have an interest in what goes on in GTMO also send observers. I am here with five other observers from four organizations and one other law school.

Morning Session Deposition – Day 2, Wednesday August 16, 2017

The prosecution called Guantanamo prisoner Ahmed al-Darbi to the witness stand to testify in the military commission case against Hadi al Iraqi, an alleged al Qaeda commander. al-Darbi pleaded guilty in 2014 to charges related to the 2002 attack on a French oil tanker, and as a part of that plea deal agreed to testify when called upon by the prosecution.

An issue of the direct examination on both days was that the prosecutor asked numerous complex and compound questions that appeared to be lost in translation and objectionable.

Unlike the first day of the deposition when Hadi al Iraqi was present, on the second day, he voluntarily waived his appearance and did not attend. al-Darbi looked very much like a business professional dressed in a dark gray suit, light gray tie, white shirt, and nice watch.

The second day of the deposition began with the prosecutor asking al-Darbi about Hadi’s alleged activities at a guesthouse/headquarters building in Kabul, Afghanistan. al-Darbi described about how Hadi would go to the communications room to check on the latest developments from the front and later go to the front himself to check on his fighters. The prosecution elicited from al-Darbi information in an apparent attempt to paint a picture of Hadi as an active al Qaeda commander, the extent to which he commanded the defense will most likely dispute. al-Darbi testified he last saw his former commander Hadi al Iraqi in the year 2000 at the guest house in Kabul.

Struggles in Recounting Torture

Camp X-Ray, the temporary detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, where the first 20 detainees were brought in January 2002. The camp closed in April 2002 and a court has ordered the preservation the camp to be potentially used as evidence in any future litigation. Though al Darbi arrived to Guantanamo after Camp X-Ray was closed, during his interrogation, he was allegedly threatened with being sent there where bad things would happen to him.

The afternoon session began with al-Darbi’s account of being taken in to U.S. custody, first at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, and later at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. During this portion of the testimony, al-Darbi’s body language changed drastically. Instead of leaning towards the microphone when giving sometimes lengthy answers at a normal volume, when speaking of his captivity he leaned back in his chair and gave short answers at a low volume. The only time he gave a long answer during this portion of his testimony was when he stated that remembering the details about the things that happened to him after he was captured was more difficult than the experiences themselves.

al-Darbi appeared visibly to have had a difficult time recounting his treatment at Guantanamo Bay. He testified to having had to endure “stress positions,” sleep deprivation, physical assault (to include pushing, hitting, and having chairs thrown at him), humiliating tasks, and being forced to wear bunny ears and a diaper on his head.

The most difficult line of questioning came when al-Darbi described an incident while at Bagram Airfield in which his interrogator, Army Private First Class Damien Corsetti exposed his private parts and put them in al Darbi’s face. Though by all accounts he lived up to his nicknames as “The Monster” and the “King of Torture,” notorious interrogator Corsetti was acquitted of charges relating to his abuse of detainees.

The strategy of the prosecution in the latter portion of the second day seemed to be to bring out torture on direct examination because there is little doubt the defense will question his ability to recall the over 20 people he previously identified due to the time that has passed as well as the physical toll of the torture. The prosecution also attempted to blunt the impact of it later by asking questions reiterating the free and voluntary nature of his plea deal.

Meeting with Chief Defense Counsel, Brigadier General John Baker

Brigadier General John Baker assumed his duties as Chief Defense Counsel in July 2015.

The NGOs had the opportunity on Thursday, August 17, 2017 to meet with the Chief Defense Counsel, Marine Corps Brigadier General John Baker. Earlier in the week we had met with the Chief Prosecutor, Army Brigadier General Mark S. Martins. BG Martins released a statement on August 19th about the hearings that occurred the week of August 14th. That statement can be read here.

BG Martins appears to be very much hands on with the prosecution of each of the military commission cases his office is responsible for prosecuting. He plays a direct role in the direction the cases take both from a staffing standpoint as well as a legal strategy. In addition, because of his background as Rhodes scholar, instructor at the Center for Law and Military Operations, and being widely published in professional journals, his meetings are significantly more polished, though not necessarily better. He speaks much more fluidly and longer winded in a manner that shows he speaks about the military commission system and law in general in the political arena.

BG Baker on the other hand is, as he characterized his role, more of a manager. He views his job as getting the tools each of his defense teams state that they need to do their job. He does not personally represent any of the clients, though he does seem to meet with them on a regular basis. One of the challenges he spoke at length about was the personnel issues that both he and his adversary, BG Martins have to deal with unique to the military. Most military attorneys, or JAG officers, are assigned for 2-3 years. In order for military personnel to advance their careers they cannot stay in place for long periods of time, and because these military commission cases in some instances last for a decade or more, staff continuity in the case is a constant challenge. Ultimately, the client suffers when the staff members are constantly turning over and the careers of the staff members suffer if they stay in their positions for too long.

BG Baker responded to our questions much more candidly and off the cuff. He, unlike BG Martins, gave us explicit permission to attribute things to him, as well as quote him. BG Baker spoke frankly about how he views the military commission system as a “failed experiment” and how he sees no way in which these cases will survive appeal. Though he says he is a firm believer in the general idea of military commissions, he sees “zero benefit” to trying the cases in this iteration of the military commission system.

On Friday of last week, the judge in the Hadi al Iraqi case, Marine Corps Colonel P.S. Rubin issued an order suspending the CCTV feed of the al Darbi deposition to Fort Meade. I asked BG Baker directly if he had received an explanation about why feed was suspended. He offered a theory that the deposition was not a court proceeding and therefore not under the authorization of a protective order issued by the judge, to send the feed to Fort Meade. The issue of whether or not to allow a deposition to be transmitted to Fort Meade has come up before. In the al-Nashiri case, the judge ruled the deposition of al-Darbi was to be completely closed. This meant no NGO observers could be present and the CCTV feed was suspended. In the Hadi case, the judge ruled NGO observers could be present, but still no CCTV feed.

BG Baker recognized the unprecedented nature and importance of the presence of NGOs at Guantanamo Bay hearings. He said to tell the world of about what happened here. That’s a responsibility I felt like each NGO observer has taken seriously in this unique and fascinating week.

Defense Team BBQ

Sunset over Camp Justice at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, August 13, 2017

Two members Hadi’s defense team invited all of the NGOs to the temporary house where they were staying for a BBQ. They cooked great burgers and hotdogs, and had a wide variety of beverages. Each NGO observer reported having a number of fascinating conversations with individual members of the defense team, to include the lawyers, intelligence personnel, investigators, and paralegals.

In September 2015, I traveled to Guantanamo Bay to observe a hearing for Hadi’s case in which he fired his military defense counsel. Fast forward to August 2017 and Hadi finally seems to have a solid defense team in place. According to members of this team, he chose Navy Commander Aimee Cooper to lead his defense, though she is not the highest ranking member of the team. The members of the defense team I spoke to report having a really good relationship with their client. This bodes well for his defense and seems to solidify the chance that he will have the rights afforded to him (as outlined in the Guantanamo Bay Fair Trial Manual) protected to the greatest extent possible.

Concluding Remarks

I want to thank each of my fellow NGO observers for an incredible week. Each shared their unique insights and made the experience one I will never forget.

I will continue to follow this case as it moves slowly forward in the hopes that someday justice will be served in a way that does not undermine the values America supposedly stands for.

Tyler J. Smith, J.D., LL.M.

Member, Military Commission Observation Project

Program in International Human Rights Law

Indiana University McKinney School of Law

From Indianapolis City Employee to Guantanamo Bay Observer — Nomination, Confirmation, Preparation

From my perch as an Indianapolis city employee working in economic development, I don’t often receive an email inquiring about the seriousness of my interest in traveling to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

But that’s exactly what happened on January 31, 2017.

Indiana University McKinney School of Law Professor George Edwards, an International Human Rights Law Professor of mine and who was also my third-year law school research paper faculty supervisor, emailed me with a simple question: “Are you available for a quick phone call?”

I was puzzled. I had, years ago, inquired about the law school’s then new Guantanamo Bay Military Commissions Observation Project (MCOP), but after a few exchanges with Professor Edwards and other inquiries, I realized it was simply bad timing on my part.

That said, it turns out I had been in contact with Professor Edwards on an unrelated matter, and renewed my interest in traveling to Guantanamo Bay to monitor military commissions. Professor Edwards and I discussed the project, and he impressed upon me the gravity of the undertaking.

Professor Edwards asked If I really want to travel to Guantanamo Bay to do the work; which includes lots of preparation, work once you’re there, and work once you return.

He reminded me of the importance of the work of our law school’s Program in International Human Rights Law generally, and about the importance of its Guantanamo Bay work which began more than a decade ago.

It was quite clear this wasn’t a passive trip to Cuba; this was to be taken very seriously and the hard work required of each individual would ideally result in substantive and value add contributions to the policies and procedures Professor Edwards and his partners have worked hard to create.

After a discussion with my spouse, I was officially committed.

Background and Experience

For some background, I was not deeply involved with human rights when I was a law student, and I am not a human rights attorney. Since graduating from McKinney law school in 2010, I have worked in the private sector for a global aerospace company and in the nonprofit sector for a disabilities services organization. I currently work for the City of Indianapolis managing real estate transactions and economic development projects and strategy.

In short, I did not think that I was an obvious candidate for a mission to Gitmo as part of a legal proceedings observation effort. But, it is my hope that my outside viewpoint and fresh set of eyes can be beneficial and offer a different perspective as I observe and try to contribute to the understanding of existing guidelines and procedures.

Back to the Storyline

Once I told Professor Edwards I was committing to the assignment, it was time to better understand the process and the various entities involved.

The Indiana University McKinney School of Law Program in International Human Rights Law (PIHRL), under the leadership of Professor Edwards, established the Military Commission Observation Project (MCOP). After the Pentagon Guantanamo Bay Convening Authority granted MCOP Non-Governmental Organization Status, affiliates of Indiana University McKinney became eligible to travel to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to monitor U.S. military commissions which were established to try alleged perpetrators of war crimes. Specifically, as observers or monitors, our 5 principal responsibilities are to: (a) attend; (b) observe; (c) analyze; (d) critique; and (e) report on hearings of detainees at Gitmo.

My process began by submitting certain personal information for consideration by the MCOP Advisory Council. Once approved for advancement by the Council, my name was then submitted to Pentagon as a nomination. At this point, the Pentagon can confirm you or deny you. Fortunately, on February 9, 2017, I was “CONFIRMED” by a Pentagon representative.

To be specific; from the Pentagon:

“You have been CONFIRMED to observe the March 18-25 9/11 Week ONE military commission in-person at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Currently, the flight schedule is as follows:

Departing from Joint Base Andrews to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay on 18 Mar (SAT) at 1000

Departing from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay back to Joint Base Andrews on 25 Mar (SAT) at 1000.”

I then had to fill out various forms and agreements. In some ways, this has been the most complicated part so far, since each of the documents is different, and each document must be completed following very specific guidelines. Professor Edwards sent my “completed” documents back to me numerous times for me to modify my original entries to comply with Pentagon requirements, and with requirements of the Indiana University administration including IU lawyers who review some of the forms before we observers are permitted to return them to the Pentagon. The templates that I was given to follow were helpful, but it was nevertheless still a challenge.

Finally, all the documents were reviewed by Indiana University officials (including the IU Treasurer) and by the MCOP, I sent all requisite information to the Pentagon in the hopes that they would grant me full clearance.

What Hearings will I monitor?

There are three sets of hearings ongoing at Guantanamo Bay now. During the week of my scheduled monitoring (19 – 25 March 2017), hearings will be held in the case against the 5 alleged masterminds of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I remember where I was on September 11, 2001, and I cannot escape the impact it had on me. Pictured in this blog is Khalid Shaik Mohammed, the alleged mastermind himself, who was, among other things, waterboarded 183 times.

This is Actually Going to Happen?!?

img_7039-1

At this time my focus has turned to the nuts and bolts of traveling from Indianapolis to Cuba. Easy right? Yeah… I plan to fly to Washington, DC then snag a Lyft and drive to a hotel near Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, which is around a thirty-minute trip. I will stay overnight there, in anticipation of my morning flight from Andrews in a military airplane directly to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

While at Guantanamo Bay, among other duties, I plan to provide updates via this blog site.

I hope to offer unique insights contributions to the existing body of work relating to legal proceedings, policies, and guidelines. I see this as an occasion to provide transparency from an “on the ground” perspective. Very few have had the chance to travel to Gitmo to monitor military commission proceedings; I intend to make the most of this opportunity, for the benefit of all concerned.

Duties and Responsibilities

One of the most important tasks of anyone traveling to Guantanamo Bay as part of the IU McKinney MCOP is to contribute to the Guantanamo Bay Fair Trial Manual. You can find the Manual here: https://gitmoobserver.com/military-commission-observers-manual/

FT Manual

This Manual is the product of the hard work performed by Professor George Edwards and other student and legal partners who have been observing at Gitmo for years. It provides many of the policies and procedures that govern the treatment of detainees and the trial and legal proceedings. It is an objective and independent document that is used by observers from other institutions and others as they form their own judgments as to whether Guantanamo Bay stakeholders are being afforded all rights and interests they are owed.

I feel it an honor to be able to observe and contribute to this important document.

I am proud to be an Indiana McKinney School of Law alum, and thankful for the opportunity provided by the MCOP and the Program in International Human Rights Law.

Brent M. Pierce, J.D. ’10

NGO Monitor, U.S. Military Commission Observation Project (MCOP)

Program in International Human Rights Law

Indiana University McKinney School of Law

Arrival at Guantanamo Bay to Monitor the 9/11 Pre-trial Hearings

I have been nominated and confirmed to monitor the 9/11 pre-trial hearings against the five alleged masterminds of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The hearings are scheduled to take place at the Guantanamo Naval Station, at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from December 5-9. I am participating as an affiliate of the Indiana University McKinney School of Law Program in International Human Rights Law (PIHRL), which is a non-governmental organization (NGO). You can see my previous blog posts regarding this mission here and here.

Arriving at Guantanamo Bay

I left Joint Base Andrews (JBA) at 8:00a on Saturday, December 3^rd, my pre-departure blog post can be seen here. I flew over on a Boeing 767-200ER operated by Omni Air International. As an NGO observer, there was no cost to me for the flight. The flight was about half full and had approximately 110 passengers. I previously heard that the plane is usually divided into sections for different stakeholders. However, there was never any mention of sitting in a specific area and it appeared that everyone sat wherever they wanted to. It may have been different because the flight was so empty.

After arriving on base at about noon, the NGOs gathered in a group with our escort. There are eight NGO observers in my group, including myself. Our mission is to be the eyes and ears for the outside world. We are responsible for attending, observing, analyzing, critiquing, and reporting our experiences at the pre-trial hearings and Guantanamo Bay in general. We have an escort that helps us move around the base. Our escort also facilitates various needs that we have throughout our time at GTMO. The escort also ensures that we get to court and other places on time. This was our escort’s first time working as an NGO escort, although the escort has been to Guantanamo Bay multiple times.

After departing the plane, the NGOs went into a building where military personnel checked our passports and paperwork. The military personnel inspected our paperwork then sent us to a lobby in the building. Our escort made a phone call to see if we had a vehicle coming to pick us up. After about fifteen minutes, two vans arrived to take us and our luggage to Camp Justice. The main portion of the Naval Base is across Guantanamo Bay from the airport where the plane arrived. I, along with the other seven NGOs, were taken across Guantanamo Bay via ferry. It took about 20 minutes to get across Guantanamo Bay.

Arriving at Camp JusticeAfter exiting the ferry, we were then driven to Camp Justice and had an opportunity to unpack and settle in. The accommodations have been surprisingly comfortable. We have had access to free internet (via Ethernet cord) in the MWR (morale, welfare, and recreation) tent, which is only 50 feet from the housing tents.

After we settled into camp, we were taken to have our badges made. We also received a short briefing from the head of security. A lot of the discussion focused on where we were allowed to take pictures. Within the Expeditionary Legal Center (ELC), we were informed that we could only take pictures in three areas. The head of security provided us a map that showed the areas that we could take pictures. I folded the map and took it with me when we were finished with the security briefing. After I walked outside the head of security came out and told me that he needed the map back. Without the map it was unclear where pictures were allowed to be taken in the ELC. The general rule at GTMO is to not take any pictures of structures that are inside a fence. Some areas also have signs that say “no photography.”

Around the island

Since we arrived on Saturday, and hearings do not start until Monday, we had the weekend to explore the base with our escort. On Saturday, we had a meeting lined up with the defense team for al Baluchi. The meeting was a great opportunity to speak with the defense team in an informal setting. They were very candid in their responses, and they answered all of the questions asked. It was nice to get their perspective, but I will reserve any judgment until I have had an opportunity to listen to the prosecution and see the hearings this week.

On Sunday, we went on a driving tour of the base. We started by driving to Camp X-Ray. I had requested a foot tour of Camp X-Ray but our escort said that it takes at least a month to get approval to do a foot tour. We stopped on the road and were able to look at the camp. It was probably 150 yards from the road and was very overgrown with weeds and trees. We were not allowed to take photographs of Camp X-Ray. We were then taken to Windmill Hill, which provided excellent views of the island. We could also see the detention facilities from there. There were no pictures allowed there either. Next, we drove by Radio GTMO, which was closed. We then drove to Cable beach. Finally, we made our way back to Camp Justice.

A portion of our group then decided to go to the beach. We were informed that Girl Scout Beach would be the best beach for swimming. Hurricane

Justin at Girl Scout Beach

Matthew caused some damage to the stairs that lead down to the beach, but it had been repaired recently. The beach was nice but sandals or beach shoes would have been helpful because it is very rocky. The water temperature was great and the water was very clear.

Part of the group finished the day at O’Kelly’s Irish Pub and the other half of our group watched Hacksaw Ridge at the Lyceum outdoor movie theater. I was happy to see that the base had many of the same amenities as home, although, it often creates a strange dichotomy. One minute you are driving by a football field and McDonalds, then the next minute you are driving by buildings and tents surrounds by fencing and razor wire.

The base also had a lot of holiday activities and decorations. There was a Christmas parade on Sunday, with decorated floats. The NEX (similar to a supermarket) had a bunch of decorated Christmas trees outside. Near the marina, there was a very large decorated tree and a bunch of outdoor Christmas decorations. When we are traveling through the base, it very much felt like any other town.

Justin and two other NGOs.

I look forward to posting about the upcoming pre-trial hearings.

Justin at Girl Scout Beach

Iguana at Girl Scout Beach

Justin’s room at Camp Justice

Girl Scout Beach

Girl Scout Beach

Girl Scout Beach

Justin W. Jones (J.D. Candidate, ’18)
NGO Monitor, U.S. Military Commission Observation Project (MCOP)
Program in International Human Rights Law
Indiana University McKinney School of Law

Guantanamo defendant Hadi al Iraqi Fires His Legal Counsel

Tyler Smith, standing in front of the sign at Camp Justice, the site of military commissions held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

Tyler Smith, in front of Camp Justice, the site of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba U.S. Military Commissions

I traveled to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for hearings in the Military Commission case against alleged al Qaeda member Hadi al Iraqi.

The hearing, which had been postponed by one day, was set to begin at 10 a.m. today, Tuesday the 22^nd of September 2015. Finally, at 10:45, the military judge commenced the hearing.

It did not really surprise anyone that the first thing that occurred was that Hadi al Iraqi “released” his military defense counsel, essentially firing US Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Jasper and Air Force Major Ben Stirk, who had been representing Hadi al Iraqi. Hadi expressed his desire to have a civilian attorney represent him.

The military judge ruled that the military defense counsel would be released, and would be replaced by other military defense counsel, probably Army Major Robert Kincaid. The Chief Defense Counsel, Marine Corps Brigadier General John Baker, had already tapped Major Kincaid for this role, but was still undergoing clearance review and briefings, and could not meet with Hadi until those processes had been completed. The military judge said that in the meantime, LTC Jasper and MAJ Stirk would still act as a “mouthpiece” for Hadi in communications with the military commissions.

Carol Rosenberg, of the Miami Herald, published this article regarding today’s proceedings indicating the paralysis of the commission’s lone non-capital case.

This Pentagon approved sketch by court artist Janet Hamlin shows Hadi al Iraqi during his arraignment in June 2014. Second from the left is Hadi’s now former counsel, Air Force Major Ben Stirk.

As was explained on our tour of the Expeditionary Legal Complex (ELC), there was a 40 second delay during the hearing with what was happening in the actual courtroom to the audio video feed we saw on five TV screens from the gallery. What is said in the courtroom must be vetted through an intelligence officer to help ensure nothing classified is leaked and has to be translated. The delay can cause some confusion as to what is happening in the courtroom in real time and the delayed audio. For example, at the conclusion of the hearing, everyone in the courtroom and in the gallery were given the “all rise” order in real time, while the audio from the previous 40 seconds of hearings was still going. Other than that, the delay didn’t really cause much of an issue during this hearing. Most of the observers simply watched the screen in front of them instead of watching the happenings in the courtroom through the glass.

Candid Meeting with Hadi’s Former Defense Counsel LTC Jasper

Hadi al Iraqi’s former defense counsel, US Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Jasper.

One of the highlights of this mission was the post-hearing meeting with Hadi’s newly-former defense counsel, LTC Jasper. He talked to us for a solid hour about his experience as Hadi’s counsel, his feelings on being fired, and his opinions about the military commission system. LTC Jasper represented Hadi for about a year, and he said that over that period of time built a good personal relationship with him. All indications are that it will take time for MAJ Kincaid to come up to speed on the case and build a rapport with Hadi. LTC Jasper explained that even though Hadi didn’t tell him why exactly he was firing his attorneys, LTC Jasper attributed it, in part, to the distrust Hadi has with the military commission system and that Hadi’s fellow detainees (his “brothers”) all have civilian counsel. In my opinion, it is a miracle that LTC Jasper was able to build any kind of rapport with Hadi given the logistical issues of meeting with his client, and the fact that LTC Jasper was a Marine Corps officer that served in Iraq and Afghanistan around the same time Hadi allegedly commanded elements of al-Qaeda.

As now former defense counsel, LTC Jasper was very candid with us when talking about his views of the military commission system. Based on what I have read and observed about the military commission system I was not surprised when I heard LTC Jasper’s observations and opinions he gained from his experience in working within the military commission system. I was very impressed to hear a Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel, with as much experience as he has be so candid and down to earth. LTC Jasper expressed disappointment, though I can’t quote him as saying so, perhaps a bit of relief as well. He indicated he has already accepted a non-litigation job at the Pentagon.

Post Hearing Activities

Following the hearing, our Office of Military Commission (OMC) escorts drove us to the various areas of interest on the base.

One of the many beautiful beaches at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

Though Guantanamo Bay is synonymous with the infamous detention facilities, it is a naval base of 45 square miles (Camp Atterbury, Indiana is approx. 54 square miles, the US’s largest military base, Fort Bragg, North Carolina is approx. 254 square miles) with the typical military base accommodations. It has a military grocery/department store (Navy Exchange, or NEX for short), souvenir shop, radio station (which we toured), very large recreation and gym facilities, housing, schools, and restaurants (yes, there is a McDonald’s and a Jamaican run Irish-pub).

Not typical of military bases, at least the ones I have been on were the beautiful beaches, lighthouse, and large reptiles. Also the Internet is incredibly poor. Odd considering that Internet is often the only lifeline military members deployed have to their loved ones back home.

A special area of interest we stopped at but could not tour, was Camp X-ray, the infamous temporary detention camp that received its first prisoners in January 2002.

By: Tyler Smith, 3L, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law

An illusion of transparency

Camp X-Ray Experience

The cancellation of today’s hearings left the NGO observers at loose ends. A few of us asked if we were permitted to visit Camp X-Ray. A van and driver were arranged and we headed out late morning for the 15-minute drive to the no-longer used facility.

There is a strange juxtaposition of life here on the base. On our way to Camp X-ray we drove through military family housing–many of the houses are decorated with festive Christmas decorations–and just as we made the last turn out of the neighborhood there was a woman walking her dog and another woman jogging while pushing children in a double stroller. We could have been in any middle class suburb in America!

Within minutes of the neighborhood we pulled over & viewed Camp X-Ray.

Camp X-Ray (detainees were held here from January to April 2002)

Camp X-Ray was the temporary detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. The first detainees arrived in January 2002. In April 2002 Camp X-Ray was closed and the detainees transferred to the permanent prison camp–Camp Delta. It is estimated that Camp X-Ray housed 800 men and teens during its use. Carol Rosenberg (Miami Herald) reported that in 2009 the FBI photographed and documented the camp. U.S. courts have ordered the preservation of Camp X-Ray facilities where detainees were held at the request of defense lawyers who want it kept intact as a crime scene.

Camp X-Ray, Guantanamo Bay

Although media representatives and others have toured Camp X-Ray, we were only permitted to view it from the road. Similarly NGO observers are not given access to the detainee facilities and other facilities used by the military commission process. The government challenges the credibility of the NGO observers by limiting our access while demanding that we report that all is well here with the Military Commissions in Guantanamo Bay.

18 and 19 November Military Commissions Events at Guantanamo Bay – Hattie Harman

The Military Commission hearing pre-trial motions in the U.S. government’s case against Abd al Hadi al-Iraqi reconvened Wednesday, November 18 at 1:00 p.m. Hadi is accused of several crimes arising out of his alleged role as an al Qaeda commander in Afghanistan during the post-9/11 period. Before convening today, Commission Judge Captain Kirk Waits conducted conferences with the parties on various issues including some anticipated to arise on Wednesday.

Defense Motion AE 21 – Contact with Female Guards

The first issue addressed was the status of defense motion AE 21 requesting that female guards cease certain physical contact with Hadi. The Commission previously granted Hadi’s motion on a temporary basis and the motion was expected to be argued on the merits in this week’s session. But apparently at Tuesday’s conference it became apparent that Hadi’s defense team had been unable access certain evidence that it intended to use in support of its motion. Specifically, Hadi objects to being touched by unrelated females based on his religious beliefs. The government argues that the operational security needs of the detention facility require the use of some female guards. The offensive touch typically occurs during the shackling process when Hadi is being moved from his cell to another location. Apparently in October when Hadi so objected to being shackled by female guards, he was “forcibly removed” from his cell over his objection. A video of this forcible removal exists and has been in the possession of the prosecution team for over two weeks. However, due to problems with the security process (due to the highly classified nature of the video), the defense team was unable to view this evidence until just before Tuesday’s hearing. Additionally, the defense has not yet been provided access to witnesses to the touching and to evidence and/or witnesses confirming the security needs of the detention facility. While the government argued vigorously against extending the time for argument on this issue, the Commission seemed to recognize that the defense could not present a viable substantive argument on the issue without more discovery. The Commission noted that if Hadi is presented with the choice of being shackled by a female or forgoing a meeting with his defense counsel, Hadi’s beliefs apparently prevent him from meeting with counsel or attending his own proceedings. “That is the most basic of due process,” said Judge Waits. And in addition to these rights being recognized under the United States Constitution, they are recognized under numerous internationally binding treaties as well as the Military Commissions Act itself. But also seemingly recognizing that the government has an interest in operating its corrections facilities in a safe, effective, and efficient manner respecting the rights of all genders to equal employment opportunities, the Commission ordered the parties to submit additional briefing on the issue prior to the next scheduled set of hearings in late January.

Defense Motion AE 20 – Article 5 Status Hearing or Dismissal for Lack of Personal Jurisdiction

After wrapping up the briefing schedule for the access to witnesses issue, the Commission issued an oral ruling on one of the motions argued Monday, AE 20. Readers may recall that this motion concerned the defense’s request that Hadi is entitled to a hearing pursuant to Article 5 of the Geneva Conventions in order to determine his status and thus what type of tribunal may try him for the alleged war crimes. Hadi contends that he should be presumed a prisoner of war (POW) and thus may not be tried by a Military Commission. He asked for a determination be made pursuant to Article 5 which provides a particular procedure with a specially constituted panel for determining status. The government argued that Hadi is clearly an unlawful enemy belligerent subject to the jurisdiction of the MCA and no further status determination is needed. Rejecting both parties’ positions, Judge Waits on Wednesday granted the defense’s alternative request, which was that the Commission itself make a determination as to Hadi’s status for purposes of jurisdiction.

Rule 802 Scheduling Conference, Courtroom Tour, and Visit to Camp X-Ray

No open courtroom proceedings occurred on Wednesday, but the parties and the Commission held a Rule 802 scheduling conference to hammer out the way forward and to prepare a plan for the next set of hearings which will occur in late January. The non-governmental observers (NGOs) of the hearings thus had a day devoted to learning more about the facilities associated with the hearings and the detainees. First we were given a detailed tour of the courtroom complex and its related facilities, including the cells used to house detainees on days when they make an appearance in court. Next, the Joint Task Force Public Affairs Office graciously led the NGO observers on a tour of now-closed Camp X-ray.

NGOs being led through Camp X ray by Army personnel.

This area was used in the 1990s to temporarily house the large influx of Haitians arriving at Guantanamo seeking refuge in the United States. For a period of spanning late 2001 and early 2002, Camp X-ray was used to house detainees who were captured in conjunction with the U.S. actions in Afghanistan and elsewhere after the 9/11 attacks. The conditions were quite primitive, and essentially consisted of a small, covered area enclosed by chain link fence for each detainee.

View of a row of detainee housing at now-closed Camp X ray

The entire camp was of course heavily guarded and surrounded by concertina wire, most of which still appears to be in place. Fortunately, the government constructed a series of newer, more humane detention areas to house the detainees when it became apparent the situation was not going to be temporary. Camp X-ray is being conserved in its present state for historical and legal purposes.

Wrapping up the week of al Nashiri GTMO hearings – Charles Dunlap

Watching the press conference from the NGO lounge. Note the picture is of the GTMO courtroom that was used for the hearings.

Press Conference

After the hearings were over for the week in the al Nashiri case (4 – 7 November 2014), the prosecution and the defense teams held a brief press conference with the four media representatives who were with us at GTMO for the week.

Victims and Victims’ Families

During the press conference, the victims and their families had an opportunity to also speak to the media. When the victims and their families spoke it was a reminder of what this trial is all about and the 17 people that died on the USS Cole and the 39 wounded. During the hearings it is easy to get caught up in the “legal arguments” and the various details and tactics and lose sight of why we are here. For me, hearing the victims and their families at the press conference really made me re-focus on them and their experiences. In addition to the overall suffering that they have been through, the main point that they expressed was their frustration with the slowness of this process and their desire for there to be an end to this and to see justice done.

Last Days Events

NGO’s gather for a farewell cookout and a chance to reflect on the weeks events.

On the last days of the trip, we had an opportunity to do several things.

Time with Defense Team – Rick Kammen and defense lawyers

The NGOs spent an hour and a half with Rick Kammen and the defense team. They were extremely generous with their time and were able to answer many questions about the hearings we had observed.

Again, some of the overall themes from that meeting were similar to others; the incredibly difficult logistics and the high costs that result; the complicated issues associated with the case which are compounded with the issue of classified information; and also how politics at the highest levels impacts the trials. Speaking specifically to this last point, Rick talked about a time when the former leader of Yemen was in the United States to receive medical care and the defense team tried to depose him. The US State Department denied it due to their policy of not wanting to impose on foreign leaders in the US who are here for medical treatment.

Visit to Camp X-Ray

The NGOs also had an opportunity to visit Camp X-Ray, which is the outdoor detention facility where they held the detainees when they first arrived. We were not able to take photos of the site but we were able to see it. It is abandoned now but there is a federal court order in place to preserve it as evidence in some of these proceedings. Camp X-Ray was only used to house the detainees for a few months when they first arrived on the base because they didn’t have any other facilities to house them in at the time. Within a few months they were moved to more permanent structures indoors.

Radio GITMO

Another place NGOs were able to visit and tour was radio GTMO. The base has a radio station that broadcasts 3 channels on the base. They have an arrangement with Cuba so the signal is not broadcast into mainland Cuba. The radio station has one of the largest collections of vinyl records in the world with many being extremely rare and limited editions. The stations still plays the records on the air. One unfortunate fact is that due to the licensing rights from the record companies, if the records are taken out of circulation they must be sent back to the record companies where they would be destroyed. It’s crazy to think that some of these one of a kind records made especially for the military would be lost forever and destroyed but that is what is required due to the licensing rights.

Some of the one of a kind vinyl albums that Radio GITMO still plays

One of the last few stops was to the abandoned lighthouse on the edge of the base. One of the interesting things was the collection of old boats that was in the area which were used by people who fled Cuba or other areas to try and immigrate to the United States.

The abandoned lighthouse with some of the old boats that people used to defect to the base.

Conclusion

I want to thank Professor George Edwards and the Indiana University McKinney School of Law for allowing me to participate in this incredible experience. It is something I will remember forever and a trip that has given me so much information. There are so many things that I was not able to include in this blog but that I will try and address in other forums since one of the goals of the NGO program is for those that witness the process to tell others.

Ambassador, Congressman, Law Professors & Journalist Discuss Guantanamo Bay’s Future

From left Dean and former U.S. Ambassador to Poland Lee Feinstein, Miami Herald Senior Correspondent Carol Rosenberg, Professor Edwards of The Gitmo Observer, Special Assistant to the International Criminal Court Prosecutor Professor Leila Sadat, and former Congressman Lee Hamilton who was Vice Chair of the 9-11 Commission.

From left Dean & former U.S. Ambassador to Poland Lee Feinstein, Miami Herald Senior Correspondent Carol Rosenberg (@CarolRosenberg), Professor George Edwards of The Gitmo Observer (@GitmoObserver), Special Assistant to the International Criminal Court Prosecutor Professor Professor Leila Sadat, and former Congressman Lee Hamilton who was Vice Chair of the 9-11 Commission.

The Guantanamo Bay detention facilities and U.S. Military Commissions were intensely discussed at a panel hosted by the Indiana University School of Global and International Studies.

Panelists spoke about the rationale and feasibility for closing Guantanamo’s detention facilities, how the international community views Guantanamo and its trials, insights from a journalist who has covered Guantanamo Bay since the first detainees arrived in January 2002, and measuring whether all Guantanamo Bay stakeholders’ human rights are being afforded to them.

Former Indiana Congressman Lee Hamilton, who was Vice-Chair of the 9-11 Commission, discussed the US government rationale for the shutting down of Guantanamo Bay and the difficulties in effecting such closure, from a Washington perspective. He described political and logistical challenges to a rapid closure.

Ms. Carol Rosenberg, who is Senior Correspondent for The Miami Herald, was in Guantanamo Bay to witness the January 2002 arrival of the first group of approximately 20 detainees, who were housed in “Camp X-Ray” wearing iconic bright orange prison. Ms. Rosenberg spoke about the history of the detention facilities, and its past, current and future challenges. She further elaborated on her perspective as a journalist assigned to the Guantanamo Bay.

Professor Leila Sadat, of the Washington University School of Law, is Henry H. Oberschelp Professor of Law and Israel Treiman Faculty Fellow, Director of the Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute and the Special Adviser on Crimes Against Humanity to the ICC Prosecutor. She provided a perspective on how the international community, outside of the U.S., views Guantanamo Bay and its Military Commissions.

U.S. Ambassador to Poland (former) Lee Feinstein, who is Founding Dean of the School of Global and International Studies, provided perspective given his many years of diplomatic and international law public experience and research. Dean Feinstein moderated the panel.

Professor George Edwards is founder of The Gitmo Observer, which is also known as the Military Commission Observation Project (MCOP) of Indiana University McKinney School of Law. Professor Edwards spoke on “Assessing Human Rights Protections for All Guantanamo Bay Stakeholders, Not Just the Rights of the Defendants”.

Professor Edwards descried how he founded the Indiana University McKinney Law School’s Program in International Human Rights Law, and how the Pentagon’s Convening Authority selected that program to be granted non-governmental observer status to permit it to send representatives to Guantanamo Bay to monitor hearings in person, or to Ft. Meade to monitor via secure video feed. Professor Edwards created then created the Military Commission Observation Project, which is now known as The Gitmo Observer. He talked about The Gitmo Observer’s most recent project, the Guantanamo Bay Fair Trial Manual, which those who monitor the Guantanamo Bay proceedings and process use to determine whether a fair trial is being held.

The panel was held at the University Club, at the Indiana Memorial Union, with a reception that followed in the Faculty Room.

_______