Seeking justice in Guantanamo
13/8/08
Al Jazeera’s Tom Ackerman reported from the Guantanamo Bay trial of Salim Hamdan, Osama bin Laden’s former driver. Here he examines what motivated Charles Swift, the US lawyer who defended him. After his sentencing, for the first time Salim Hamdan broke into a smile, hugged his lawyers, waved to the court observers and in his meagre English, said: “Bye-bye everybody.” That is how the first Guantanamo detainee to stand trial left the courtroom, heading off to an isolated wing of the prison, still unsure when he would ever see freedom. But the lawyers for Osama bin Laden’s former driver were ecstatic. The jury of six senior US military officers, having heard all the evidence, sentenced Hamdan to spend just five-and-a-half months more in prison. For the defence team, which had pleaded for more than three-and-a-half years for an appropriate punishment, the result was far better than they had hoped for.
See: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2008/08/ 200881218033878211.html
Tags: Guantanamo Bay, Human Rights, Terrorism, USA