Gitmo

Apparently the mainstream media (MSM) has just decided to announce last month's news that litigation has forced Department of Defense (DOD) to release names of some of the war on terror detainees being held at U.S. Naval Station Guantamano Bay, Cuba (Gitmo) (Financial Times Rueters news agency). In March 2006, the DOD released 317 "unredacted" records on detainees being held at Gitmo. A press release issued by DOD dated March 6, 2006 indicated that:

The records, containing about 5,000 pages, are being released as part of an Associated Press Freedom of Information Act litigation decided in late January. A federal judge in New York ordered DOD release records of combatant status review tribunals and administrative review board summaries to the Associated Press (AP)by March 3.

Those documents were originally provided to AP, but with names and identifying information redacted for privacy reasons, as part of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in June 2005. "The court's ruling applies to those documents that have been provided under FOIA in June 2005," a senior official speaking on background said.

The list does not give the names of all 490 detainees being held at Gitmo. Senior defense officials said the 317 records only cover the previously released redacted documents. These will be "unredacted," and names, nationalities and other personal identifying information will be released. Other protected information -- names of American servicemembers for example -- will remain redacted, officials said.

DOD and the Bush Adminstration say the Gitmo detailees are terror suspects. However, the liberals and leftists say that they (detainees) are not terrorists, but, are innocent victims of war. The Supreme Court ruling regarding this matter is a double edged sword. DOD has provided a government website that will provide updated information on Gitmo. You can access the DOD Gitmo site throught this link: Detainee Affairs at Gitmo

Related Sites: DoD Freedom of Information Act

Technorati tags: Gitmo, Detainees, Military Detention, redacted documents, terrorist, terror suspect, Iraq, Afghanistan, tribunal, DOD, liberal media, FOIA, Opinion