US News and World Report: The 9/11 Hearings at Guantanamo Bay Have Been a Fiasco
Op-ed by Daphne Eviatar.
Sulaiman Abu Ghaith’s case clearly belongs in a civilian U.S. court. It’s unfortunate that some lawmakers have used this case to whip up hysteria and champion the failed experiment that is the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.
I watched Abu Gaith’s arraignment in the federal courthouse in Manhattan on Friday. It was a model of fairness and efficiency. In just 17 minutes, Judge Lewis Kaplan, a no-nonsense federal judge with decades of experience handling complex criminal conspiracy cases, read the charges against Abu Ghaith, explained his rights, assigned him lawyers, recorded his “not guilty” plea, and explained how the court would handle classified material. Abu Ghaith has reportedly already shared significant information with federal officers.
