Monday, July 21, 2008

The first of Bush’s Gitmo trials starts today

In the first U.S. war crimes tribunal since World War Two, Osama bin Laden's driver, will face the Bush administration form of justice today in Guantanamo.

Salim Ahmed Hamdan is charged with conspiracy and providing material support for terrorism, and could face life imprisonment if convicted.
His lawyers have complained bitterly about conditions in the Guantanamo and the legal system the Bush administration constructed to try suspects.

Their client has been physically and mentally abused and they have been denied access to witnesses, records and other evidence.
They contend that he was merely a driver in Bin Laden's motor pool.
"The course of conduct the government has engaged in is a source of righteous indignation and should be for any right-thinking American citizen," said Mike Berrigan, deputy chief defense counsel for the tribunals. "It's not justice."
Meanwhile the fate of Canadian born Omar Khadr, the last remaining prisoner from a western country, whose trial is slated for October, remains in the hands of our vacationing prime minister.

The position of Harper's government was reiterated yesterday by Teneycke his new spokesman, who seems to be the running the place in Harper's absence.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper remains unmoved and his spokesman, Kory Teneycke, has accused the Liberals of "revisionism and hypocrisy" for only now adopting the cause.

"This is the process the Liberals chose, and we're sticking with it," Mr. Teneycke said in an interview yesterday.
Teneycke's was responding to Paul Martin's call yesterday, to bring Khadr home now.
If we had known then what we know now, then we would have taken strenuous steps to repatriate Mr. Khadr to Canada,
The former prime minister conceded that it is "easy" to operate with the benefit of hindsight, but said, "We should have repatriated him, and I believe that we should do it now."
So according to Teneycke, the Liberals who supposedly couldn't do anything right in the past, were right in the handling of Khadr. How convenient.

Despite the fact that we now know that the prisoners in Guantanamo were tortured and the US supreme court has ruled that the trials are illegal, and every other western nation has repatriated their citizens, except Canada, Teneycke's excuse is that the Liberals didn't do anything when they were in power, so we don't have to either.

Give me a break.

Steve you need to come back from vacation, this new guy is an idiot. 




References from the Montreal Gazette here, and the Globe & Mail here.

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