The Defense Department has granted suspected terrorists held at the U.S. naval facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba the right to request legal representation.
Defense Department officials gave 14 high-value detainees, including 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed, “Legal Representation Request” forms.
The form allows them to state their desire “to have a civilian lawyer represent me and assist me with filing a petition to challenge the CSRT [Combatant Status Review Tribunal] determination that I am an Enemy Combatant.”
The form also allows detainees to ask the American Bar Association to “find a lawyer who will represent my best interests, without charge”, the Washington Post reported.
William H. Neukom of the ABA told federal officials yesterday that the Association did not want to “lend support and credibility to such an inadequate review scheme.”
Detainees were previously defended by military “personal representatives” to assist in the review process. The civilian lawyers, who will undergo thorough background checks, will make their appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
This will be the first contact the 14 high-value targets will have with anyone besides their captors or Red Cross representatives.
