According to the New York Times, Binyam Mohamed, who has been in custody since 2002, has been released from Guantanamo Bay Prison and is scheduled to arrive in Britain today. Mohamed claims that he was tortured while in CIA custody--the Guardian claims right up until his departure from Gitmo. Mohamed was suspected of trying to plant a dirty bomb in the United States. Mohamed admits to receiving training in Afghanistan but claims he was training to fight in Chechnya, not the U.S. While in Morocco, Mohamed claims that he was cut with a razor on his chest and genitals "about once a month," and that photos were taken of his injuries after he was transferred to Bagram Air Force Base. It's difficult to tell from the account whether they were documenting his treatment or simply trying to humiliate him.
Mohamed and four other men were suing Boeing subsidiary Jeppsen for its role in their rendition to countries where they were tortured, but the Obama administration recently invoked the state secrets doctrine--much as the Bush administration had in the past--to block evidence of the plaintiff's maltreatment from being released, citing national security concerns. This led to the lawsuit being dismissed.
Jake Tapper reports that some of the families represented by Military Families United are protesting Obama's decision to release Mohamed. Tapper quotes Brian Wise, director of the group, who says, "Whether or not he experienced harsh interrogation tactics doesn’t change the fact that he is universally recognized as a terrorist and a threat to America."
I find it interesting that we're supposed to accept that decisions are being made in the interest of national security when it involves imprisoning people indefinitely, but if anyone is actually released we're supposed to assume we are aware of all the relevant intelligence and that doing so is a sign of dangerous naiveté. What we know is that all the charges against Mohamed have been dismissed; there's no ethical or legal reason to keep him confined.
-- A. Serwer
