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Key hearings open at Guantanamo | Key hearings open at Guantanamo |
(30 minutes later) | |
Hearings have opened at the Guantanamo Bay camp to decide whether key suspects can be deemed enemy combatants and therefore face military trials. | Hearings have opened at the Guantanamo Bay camp to decide whether key suspects can be deemed enemy combatants and therefore face military trials. |
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 11 September attacks on the US and 13 other terror suspects are due at the hearings in the US camp. | Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 11 September attacks on the US and 13 other terror suspects are due at the hearings in the US camp. |
They were transferred to Guantanamo after years in secret CIA jails. | They were transferred to Guantanamo after years in secret CIA jails. |
This is the first time they have faced any court. But human rights groups say the hearings are sham tribunals. | This is the first time they have faced any court. But human rights groups say the hearings are sham tribunals. |
'HIGH-VALUE' SUSPECTS Khalid Sheikh MohammedRamzi BinalshibhAbu Zubaydah HambaliMajid Khan The 14 key detainees | 'HIGH-VALUE' SUSPECTS Khalid Sheikh MohammedRamzi BinalshibhAbu Zubaydah HambaliMajid Khan The 14 key detainees |
The hearings are being held with no defence lawyers present, and human rights groups say the panels of three military officials could consider evidence obtained by force. | The hearings are being held with no defence lawyers present, and human rights groups say the panels of three military officials could consider evidence obtained by force. |
The hearings do not rule on guilt or innocence, but are the first step towards charging a detainee with crimes. | The hearings do not rule on guilt or innocence, but are the first step towards charging a detainee with crimes. |
'Too sensitive' | 'Too sensitive' |
Officials declined to say which of the 14 would go first or how many have refused to take part in the proceedings. | |
Many detainees face the prospect of indefinite detention without trial | Many detainees face the prospect of indefinite detention without trial |
"We started our first hearing, and the purpose is to determine whether the detainee fits the criteria for designation as an enemy combatant," said Pentagon spokesman Chito Peppler. | |
"There are a number who want to be present and there are a number that have said they don't want to be present," said Bryan Whitman, another spokesman. | |
"It's a healthy mix on both sides." | |
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, of Pakistani-Kuwaiti origins, who was captured in Pakistan in March 2003, has been described by US President George W Bush as "the man believed to be the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks" which killed about 3,000 people. | Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, of Pakistani-Kuwaiti origins, who was captured in Pakistan in March 2003, has been described by US President George W Bush as "the man believed to be the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks" which killed about 3,000 people. |
Another key suspect is Ramzi Binalshibh, an alleged senior al-Qaeda figure originally from Yemen who was captured in Pakistan in September 2002. | Another key suspect is Ramzi Binalshibh, an alleged senior al-Qaeda figure originally from Yemen who was captured in Pakistan in September 2002. |
A third man, Saudi-born Abu Zubaydah, who is believed to have been the chief al-Qaeda recruiter, was also captured in Pakistan in 2002. | A third man, Saudi-born Abu Zubaydah, who is believed to have been the chief al-Qaeda recruiter, was also captured in Pakistan in 2002. |
The group also includes an Indonesian, Hambali, who is accused of planning the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people. | The group also includes an Indonesian, Hambali, who is accused of planning the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people. |
They were moved from CIA detention last September. | They were moved from CIA detention last September. |
In the past, initial hearings have been open to outside observers, but the Pentagon decided that these cases were too sensitive to be reported freely. | In the past, initial hearings have been open to outside observers, but the Pentagon decided that these cases were too sensitive to be reported freely. |
The BBC's Justin Webb in Washington says that, in particular, there is concern that the men might reveal information about how they were captured. | The BBC's Justin Webb in Washington says that, in particular, there is concern that the men might reveal information about how they were captured. |
Edited transcripts of the proceedings will be released later after any information deemed to be classified is edited out. | |
Lawyers acting for the detainees have said this decision undermines the credibility of the whole process. | Lawyers acting for the detainees have said this decision undermines the credibility of the whole process. |
'Legal black hole' | 'Legal black hole' |
Five years after the first prisoners arrived, Guantanamo Bay is soon to see a new phase with the expected start of military tribunals or commissions in March or April. | Five years after the first prisoners arrived, Guantanamo Bay is soon to see a new phase with the expected start of military tribunals or commissions in March or April. |
The camp currently holds about 385 suspects accused of fighting for al-Qaeda, the Taleban or associated militant groups. | The camp currently holds about 385 suspects accused of fighting for al-Qaeda, the Taleban or associated militant groups. |
It is seen by the Bush administration as a vital tool in the "war on terror". It enables the US to interrogate suspects who are not US citizens and hold them - indefinitely if necessary - in territory it controls but which is not subject to normal US court rules. | It is seen by the Bush administration as a vital tool in the "war on terror". It enables the US to interrogate suspects who are not US citizens and hold them - indefinitely if necessary - in territory it controls but which is not subject to normal US court rules. |
Critics say it is a legal black hole in which suspects have been abused and face either military tribunals or open-ended imprisonment. | Critics say it is a legal black hole in which suspects have been abused and face either military tribunals or open-ended imprisonment. |