Guantanamo judge rejects charges for Canadian

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Guantanamo judge rejects charges for Canadian
Sat Jun 30, 2007 11:27AM EDT

MIAMI (Reuters) - A U.S. military judge for the Guantanamo
war crimes tribunals has refused to reinstate the charges
against a Canadian prisoner accused of killing a U.S. soldier
in Afghanistan.

The ruling in the case of Canadian captive Omar Khadr was
released late on Friday, hours after the U.S. Supreme Court
said it would hear a challenge of the law that established
the war crimes tribunals and stripped Guantanamo prisoners
of their right to court review of their indefinite confinement.

-snip-

A tribunal judge, Army Col. Peter Brownback, dismissed the
murder and conspiracy charges against Khadr on June 4. He
said he lacked jurisdiction to try him because Khadr had
not been designated an "unlawful enemy combatant," as
required under the 2006 law that authorized military
tribunals for foreign terrorism suspects.

Prosecutors asked Brownback to reconsider and reinstate the
charges, but he ruled on Friday that they had presented no
new evidence or arguments.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSNASU6300120070630

[Spazito]

1. Interesting! Thanks for posting this....

I wonder what the next step is for the prosecutors now, if there is any next step re appeal, etc. If not, what happens to Khadr now? The article doesn't seem to have any info re what's next, it will be interesting if other news articles will fill in the blanks.

[CHIMO]

2. May Be To

Another court.

Khadr lawyer hails top court decision on Guantanamo
Last Updated: Saturday, June 30, 2007 | 12:13 AM ET
CBC News

The U.S. Supreme Court changed course Friday and agreed to review whether Guantanamo Bay detainees can go to U.S. civilian courts to challenge their indefinite confinement.

The unusual reversal, announced without comment, was hailed as "a landmark decision" by one of the lawyers representing 20-year-old Omar Khadr, the only Canadian held at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"They've now changed their mind … That's the astonishing aspect of this decision," said Nate Whitling, talking from Edmonton. "This is just not something within the court's normal practice."

"It's an extremely important decision for Mr. Khadr because it means essentially that the legality of his detention is going to be reviewed much sooner than expected."
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/06/29/guantanamo-appeal.html

[Spazito]

4. Ahhh, thanks for that!

I didn't tie the announcement of the USSC that they were going to hear a Guantanamo case to the Khadr case. I need to do my homework on this for sure. Hmmm, just thinking, the timing of the sudden decision of the USSC to hear the Guantanamo case, a decision that reverses a previous decision not to hear the case, coming on the same day the military judge refused to re-instate the charges against Khadr is just a bit too coincidental for my liking.

After the USSC's decisions on Thursday, I certainly wouldn't put much hope in a fair ruling by this USSC but, rather, I would be almost certain the ruling will cover bush's butt on this instead.

[thereismore]

3. These trials are not going well are they. nt