U.S. Holding 27,000 in Secret Overseas Prisons; Transporting Prisoners To Iraqi Jails To Avoid Media & Legal Scrutiny

The trial against Osama bin Laden’s former driver, Salim Ahmed Hamdan, was scheduled to start June 2nd. Navy Captain Keith Allred ruled on Friday that the trial should be delayed seven weeks, until July 21st, in case the Supreme Court ruling affects his case.

The court is considering a challenge to a provision of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 that denies Guantanamo prisoners the right to file petition of habeas corpus. It marks the third time the Supreme Court has examined the rights of the prisoners held at the prison camp. A ruling is expected by June 30th.

In a separate ruling, the judge ordered a psychiatric evaluation for Hamdan to determine if he is competent to stand trial. A psychiatrist hired by his lawyers found he suffers from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder and cannot participate in his defense. The military says he has no signs of any mental problems.

The U.S. holds about 270 prisoners at Guantanamo and has said it plans to bring about 80 before the tribunals — the first to be held by the United States since World War II.

Clive Stafford Smith is an British attorney who represents more than 50 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. He is testifying tomorrow before the House Committee on Foreign Relations about Guantanamo Bay. He joins from Washington DC. Welcome to Democracy Now.

Clive Stafford Smith, British born lawyer for over 50 detainees in Guantanamo Bay. He is the legal director of the UK charity Reprieve and has defended prisoners on death row for over 20 years. He is the author of “Eight O’Clock Ferry to the Windward Side: Seeking Justice in Guantanamo Bay.”

Related Democracy Now! Stories

• “Eight O’Clock Ferry to the Windward Side”—Gitmo Attorney Clive Stafford Smith on Seeking Justice at the “Flagship of Secret Prisons” (10/11/2007)