Guantanamo Bay detainees can speak to lawyers in private
Publish date: 28 October 2004
Issue Number: 1205
Diary: Legalbrief Today
Category: General
A US District judge has rejected the governments claim that it needs to monitor all conversations, notes and mail between lawyers and three detainee clients being held at the US Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to protect the nation from future terrorist attacks.
The Washington Times reports Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said the military must give men imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay speedy access to their attorneys and cannot monitor their conversations with the lawyers. The ruling covers only three Kuwaitis held for almost three years at the prison. But her 20-page conclusion is a strong signal to other judges presiding over similar cases. The judge referred to the Supreme Court ruling that the more than 500 Guantanamo detainees have the right to challenge their imprisonment in US courts. She concluded that the high court\'s ruling means they must have access to American lawyers. Full report in The Washington Post
