Unjustly held for 3 years - not allowed to speak to an Attorney or family members -Never Charged with a Crime
Yaser Esam Hamdi, who was held in solitary confinement as an "enemy combatant" for nearly three years and never charged with a crime, will be released from custody and flown home to Saudi Arabia, government officials announced yesterday. Hamdi, a United States citizen, will leave on a military aircraft, probably by the end of the week, said Frank W. Dunham Jr., the federal public defender representing him. The Justice Department said only that Hamdi's release "is currently being arranged." The U.S. military captured Hamdi with pro-Taliban forces in Afghanistan in 2001. He was sent to Guantanamo Bay along with other detainees until authorities learned that he was born in Louisiana and was a citizen. He has been held in military brigs ever since. Hamdi's detention came to symbolize the legal clash over the government's anti-terror efforts. In June, the Supreme Court ruled that Hamdi had the right to contest his detention in court. The Court held that Hamdi must be charged with a crime or released. "This is tremendously embarrassing to the government," said Shayana Kadidal, an attorney with the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights, which filed legal briefs on Hamdi's behalf. [more ]
Freeing Mr. Hamdi - where is the Outrage? the media coverage? [more ]
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