Seventeen Chinese prisoners who have been held for nearly seven years in Guantánamo Bay will be informed on Monday that they could spend the rest of their lives behind bars, even though they face no charges and have been told by a judge they should be freed.
No country is willing to accept them and the
The men’s lawyer, Sabin Willett, is flying to
"After years of stalling and staying and appellate gamesmanship, you pleaded no contest – they are not enemy combatants," Willett has written. "You have never charged them with any crime."
Last month a federal judge ruled that the men should be freed. "They were on freedom’s doorstep," said Willett. "The plane was at Gitmo. The stateside Lutheran refugee services and the Uighur families and
Yesterday Willett said his clients were "saddened" by the latest events. The men, who are Muslims, were in
According to the
Willett is also angry the defence department will not agree to let him meet his clients unless they are chained to the floor. He called for this restriction to be lifted: "Just permit these men one shred of human dignity." He added: "Americans are not supposed to treat enemy prisoners of war this way under the service field manuals, or the
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