Guantánamo Bay
Veteran death penalty lawyer David
Bruck, whose previous clients include Dylann Roof and Dzokhar Tsarnaev, has
been appointed to replace James P. Harrington, former defence lawyer for Ramzi
Binalshibh, a Yemeni national among the five defendants accused of terrorist attacks
in New York in September 2001. Bruck has not met his client or practiced law in
a military court before.
At the same time, Lieutenant
Colonel Derek A Poteet, who has acted as military defence lawyer for Khalid
Shaikh Mohammed in the same case since 2011, has left the case after a court
approved a notice sent to the court that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed agreed to his
departure. He left the case after taking up a post elsewhere. Following his
official departure on 30 June, only one of the original defence lawyers from
2012 will remain: Ammar Al-Baluchi’s lawyer Lieutenant Colonel Sterling Thomas.
A petition has been rejected by
three of the five defendants in the above case - Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, Walid Bin
Attash and Mustafa Al Hawsawi – to have all orders made by a former judge in
the case Colonel Keith Parella cancelled due to the “appearance of partiality
they claim was created by his earlier work for the Justice Department’s Counterterrorism
Section, his acquaintance with one of the military commission prosecutors, his
lack of candor during voir dire, and the possibility he may pursue Justice
Department employment after retiring from the military”.
A petition was also rejected by
lawyers for the defendants in this case to grant them access to the full 2014
Senate Committee Torture Report.
LGC Activities:
Due to current social distancing measures in place due to the
Covid-19 pandemic, the London Guantánamo Campaign’s monthly Shut Guantánamo!
demonstration will be held virtually at 12-2pm on Thursday 7 May. To take part,
please email a photo/video of your banner to us at london.gtmo@gmail.com before 12pm on 7 May or share your picture/video to our Facebook
page https://www.facebook.com/London-Guantánamo-Campaign-114010671973111/ or via Twitter (or just a message – some possible messages
available through the link below) @shutguantanamo between 12 and 2pm on
Thursday 7 May. More details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/224045972238026/
