Chester County Religious Campaign Against Torture - CCRCAT

4 Responses to “Habeo corpus”

1. 1 nuggetoftruth February 9, 2008 at 10:20 am

   A concise piece challenging us to question our apathy to these issues. I agree with both the thinking behind the questions - that we SHOULD care - and the questions themselves - WHY should we care?

   Terrorists don’t care whose lives they ruin, in fact the more the better. They don’t care if a child is raised without a parent because that parent has been killed by the actions of a suicide bomber.

   But until a person is tried and found guilty it’s not right to punish. A trial is to prove guilt, not prove innocence; therefore there should always be an assumption of innocence before trial. A person arrested must not be punished (by torture, by an unspecified length in prison without trial) before they are found guilty in a court of law.

   So we should care what goes on to the un-tried in prisons around the world.

   As for convicted terrorists, I have little sympathy. However, it is imprisonment itself that is the punishment, the loss of freedom. No more, no less.

   It’s an interesting poem highlighting a disturbing issue.

2. 2 grellet February 9, 2008 at 11:13 am

   Thanks for reading and commenting, Sarah.

   As the organizing members of no2torture wrote:

   “While those who conspire to terrorize innocents must be brought to justice, we cannot achieve this by terrorizing others who may be innocent.”
   http://www.no2torture.org/call.pdf

   Innocent men and women were rounded up, tortured, imprisoned, and tortured yet again. Some were released in dribs and drabs if their governments fought hard enough for them. Others, like Mr. al-Ghizzawi, are still imprisoned. The first Combatant Status Review Tribunal declared it could find no credible accusations against him. But the powers-that-be brought him before a second CSRT that admitted hearsay evidence against him. This is worse than a kangaroo court.

   Innocent people are being held. Yet the official word is still that those at Guantánamo are “the worst of the worst.” More recently, our new attorney general brazenly said that waterboarding is not illegal and could be used again at the President’s request
   http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/30/washington/30justice.html?_r=2&th=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&emc=th&adxnnlx=1201687831-vd6iZtgCO1JflYTfEcJCLA&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin

   I am ashamed. I would never have thought that my country would behave this way, betraying its own standards and principles.

3. 3 Linda G. Richard February 24, 2008 at 1:02 am

   NEW URGENT ACTION!!

   Below is a post that H. Candace Gorman, Al-Ghizzawi’s attorney posted on her blog. In addition she asked that we send as many letters and faxes as possible.

   So for the second time today - I plead with you to go to the bottom - there is a form letter - please edit it as needed - and please please please - no matter what - please send and or fax the letters! This has to happen ASAP! Candace is going to see Abdel on Monday - she would love to tell him that people acted! Please send me a reply letting me know you’ve taken action - so that I can pass it on to her!

   Don’t let him die alone. He is no “enemy combatant”. Please see the profile of him at http://freedetainees.org if you want more information. Below is Candaces’ post, below that is the letter. (If you are not a US Citizen - please edit it to fit your country)

   Many of you have asked me for an update after that horrible news that Al-Ghizzawi was told by a doctor at the base that he has AIDS. I had a Reply due today in the District Court in DC and I have spent the week focusing on that document. It is now filed and I am waiting for “clearance” by the government before I can post it.

   Immediately after I received Al-Ghizzawi’s letter I sent an email to the government attorney who refused to tell me whether or not the report was correct. I filed with the Supreme Court but Chief Justice Roberts denied my emergency motion… I still had no word from the Government on the AIDS report… I filed back in the District Court (where this battle for medical treatment began more than 18 months ago). District Court Judge Bates ordered the government to respond by February 15th and asked them to update the Court on Al-Ghizzawi’s medical condition. Finally in a typically snide response the government admitted that Al-Ghizzawi does not in fact have AIDS (the fact that the governmen waited this long to admit the truth…if it is the truth… only convinces me that this was a psychological game being played on Al-Ghizzawi… ) but anyway if it is true the good news is that Al-Ghizzawi does not have AIDS.

   I say “if it is true” because what came out in the governments response is the fact that they have admitted in this same response that they have known for 18 months that Al-Ghizzawi’s liver condition (from hepatitis B) is worsening… perhaps dramatically (they will never say anything directly) and they have not treated him… The affidavit makes clear that the medical staff at guantanamo does not have a clue how to diagnose or treat hepatitis and liver damage…. at the cost of Al-Ghizzawi’s health.

   Soon I will be able to post my response and even though much of it is legalize and many of you are not lawyers…. you can figure it out.

   And now it is time for Judge Bates to understand that many people are concerned with Al-Ghizzawi’s health. Will you write him?

   Please keep your letters polite and to the point… but let him know that this is not just about one person…. but about the dignity of a nation of people who care about what is being done in our name… and how this reflects on our nation as a whole… And if you are so inclined to write please do it soon… all of the documents are in this very capable judge’s hands as of right now…. and I am off on Monday to visit with Al-Ghizzawi for for two days and how nice it would be to tell him that there was a groundswell of support for his cause by the people of the world.

   The Honorable John D. Bates

   United States District Court Judge

   U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

   E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse

   333 Constitution Avenue, Northwest

   Washington, DC 20001

   H. Candace Gorman

   312.427.2313

   Interested in the Guantanamo Litigation?

   See my blog at:

   http://gtmoblog.blogspot.com/

   The Honorable John D. Bates
   United States District Court Judge
   U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
   E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse
   333 Constitution Avenue, Northwest
   Washington, DC 20001
   (202) 354-3433 fax)

   Honorable John Bates;

   I am writing to you today about Abdel Al-Ghizzawi, a detainee who has been in Guantanamo Bay detention facility for over five years. Al-Ghizzawi was sold to U.S. Troops as part of a bounty, he is not a “high value” detainee. Al-Ghizzawi was one of the “no hearings hearings” detainees who had new Tribunals convened in his absence when the initial Tribunals determined that he should never have been determined to have been an enemy combatant. Later in 2005 a new tribunal was conducted that declared him an enemy combatant. In fact, Abdel Al-Ghizzawi never fought with the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, or anyone else.

   Abdel Al-Ghizzawi has Hepatitis B as well as Tuberculosis. His condition is worsening, and is very grave. On January 28 2008 his attorney H. Candace Gorman filed an emergency motion with the Supreme Court asking the US military to provide urgent medical treatment to Abdel Al-Ghizzawi, as well as access to his medical records. Chief Justice John Roberts denied the motion.

   This is shameful. Our country is supposed to be run by us – the citizens of these United States, we are supposed to be the Government. However, in the past few years we have had very little say in what goes on, and none in how this country treats it’s POWs or detainees. This needs to change. We care what’s done in our name. Our country, while once a beacon of human rights is now one of the worlds worst offenders.

   I ask you to help Abdel Al-Ghizzawi by providing him with the medical care he needs so desperately. I urge you to provide his attorney, H Candace Gorman access to his medical records so that she can assure that he gets the treatment that he needs for his condition.

   The world is watching. Our reputation has been sullied enough. Please act in the best interest of everyone. Give us back our good conscience.

   Sincerely,

   [name]

   [address]

4. 4 Linda G. Richard February 24, 2008 at 3:21 am

   NEW PETITION: please sign!
   http://www.petitiononline.com/saveabdl/petition.html

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