Tribunals, Bush style

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It appears that the now-illegal Guantanamo tribunals weren't quite the instruments of sober jurisprudence the Bush administration would like everyone to believe they are:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/guantanamo/story/0,,1809981,00.html?gusrc=rss

Guardian finds Afghan witnesses US couldn't

Declan Walsh in Gardez
Friday June 30, 2006

The US government said it could not find the men that Guantánamo detainee Abdullah Mujahid believes could help set him free. The Guardian found them in three days.

Two years ago the US military invited Mr Mujahid, a former Afghan police commander accused of plotting against the United States, to prove his innocence before a special military tribunal. As was his right, Mr Mujahid called four witnesses from Afghanistan.

But months later the tribunal president returned with bad news: the witnesses could not be found. Mr Mujahid's hopes sank and he was returned to the wire-mesh cell where he remains today.

The Guardian searched for Mr Mujahid's witnesses and found them within three days. One was working for President Hamid Karzai. Another was teaching at a leading American college. The third was living in Kabul. The fourth, it turned out, was dead. Each witness said he had never been approached by the Americans to testify in Mr Mujahid's hearing.

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Can we please hear from the administration what steps it took to locate the witnesses Mr. Mujahid said could testify on his behalf? What procedures and personnel are in place to carry out the normal every day functions of these illegal tribunals? None, apparently.

You know, I'm so old, I remember when the United States used to denounce this kind of illegal imprisonment under color of law. We used to decry sham tribunals and show trials. We used to believe in the rule of law, and consider an accused person innocent until proven guilty. Now, we appear to be a leading practitioner of kangaroo courts. Shame on us all, and shame on the Bush administration.

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gratuitous :kick: