"Guantanamo and the rule of law"
by Ben Patterson
On March 9, Chicago attorney, Jeff Colman spoke on the UW-Madison campus
about, “Guantánamo and the Rule of Law.” He focused on the challenges he has faced,
as well as the challenges the United States faces, in relation to the detention camp
located at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Colman — a UW-Madison history graduate,
Stanford Law graduate, and partner at Jenner & Block in Chicago — has been one of
numerous attorneys working to represent prisoners at Guantánamo Bay on a pro bono
basis.
Colman said that his involvement was not “for any political reason, [or] for reasons
relating to wars in foreign countries. I got involved in Guantánamo for one reason and
only one reason: there were men there that needed lawyers.” Colman believes that it is
the duty of lawyers to ensure justice. His overriding goal at the detention camp was
simply to seek Habeas Corpus for those men yet to be charged of any crimes. Some
men have even been held in Guantánamo Bay for more than seven years without any
charges pressed or court dates set.
Colman spoke of the great injustices that have been occurring in the camp. Stories
of tortured men charged of no crime were common. Likewise, denial of the Holy Bible
and Koran to prisoners was a regular occurrence. In addition to the traumatic events
that have been widely publicized in the media, claims of even greater mistreatments
are common.
According to Colman, the prison has held up to 800 prisoners, most of which
arrived to Guantánamo Bay because of bounties placed on them in their native
countries. The prisoners’ ages range from 15 to 80 and they are primarily Muslim.
Colman cited a statistic, claiming 55 percent of those being held in the detention
camp were not found to have engaged in any hostile acts against the United States or
its allies. Additionally, only 1.5 percent of prisoners being held have been charged with
a crime and only 2 individuals have actually been convicted of any crime.
Numerous U.S. military personnel, both Republican and Democrat, have come
forth to publicly denounce the detention camp and the practices conducted therein.
Lt. Commander William C. Kuebler, a life-long Republican, made public objections to
the camp. Similarly, Lt. Colonel Darrel J. Vandeveld condemned the actions in the
detention camp and was subsequently fired. He is one of seven individuals to be either
fired or forced to resign because of their objections to the actions of the United States
at Guantánamo Bay.
Colman noted that it has been a tireless and difficult procedure to try to represent
these imprisoned individuals. There is red tape, security provisions, and cultural
obstacles that must be overcome to effectively bring justice to these individuals. For
example, some of the Muslim men refuse to speak directly to a female attorney and
must communicate through a translator while not viewing the female attorney. Colman
said that all information that he received while in direct contact with prisoners had to
be cleared by the government and is classified to anyone working outside of the camp.
Colman did have some optimism, however. He noted that President Obama plans to
close the detention camp within one year from January 21, 2009. He closed his
presentation by explaining the importance of investigating and disclosing the events of
Guantánamo Bay. He acknowledged that we, as a nation, have sent the wrong
message, allowing despots to justify their actions in the wake of ours. He sressed that
there is the time and ability to take on some of the challenges Guantánamo Bay has
posed and work to ensure they are not repeated in the future.
Ben Patterson, a UW- Madison student, is a freelance writer based in Madison, Wis.
On March 9, Chicago attorney, Jeff Colman spoke on the UW-Madison campus
about, “Guantánamo and the Rule of Law.” He focused on the challenges he has faced,
as well as the challenges the United States faces, in relation to the detention camp
located at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Colman — a UW-Madison history graduate,
Stanford Law graduate, and partner at Jenner & Block in Chicago — has been one of
numerous attorneys working to represent prisoners at Guantánamo Bay on a pro bono
basis.
Colman said that his involvement was not “for any political reason, [or] for reasons
relating to wars in foreign countries. I got involved in Guantánamo for one reason and
only one reason: there were men there that needed lawyers.” Colman believes that it is
the duty of lawyers to ensure justice. His overriding goal at the detention camp was
simply to seek Habeas Corpus for those men yet to be charged of any crimes. Some
men have even been held in Guantánamo Bay for more than seven years without any
charges pressed or court dates set.
Colman spoke of the great injustices that have been occurring in the camp. Stories
of tortured men charged of no crime were common. Likewise, denial of the Holy Bible
and Koran to prisoners was a regular occurrence. In addition to the traumatic events
that have been widely publicized in the media, claims of even greater mistreatments
are common.
According to Colman, the prison has held up to 800 prisoners, most of which
arrived to Guantánamo Bay because of bounties placed on them in their native
countries. The prisoners’ ages range from 15 to 80 and they are primarily Muslim.
Colman cited a statistic, claiming 55 percent of those being held in the detention
camp were not found to have engaged in any hostile acts against the United States or
its allies. Additionally, only 1.5 percent of prisoners being held have been charged with
a crime and only 2 individuals have actually been convicted of any crime.
Numerous U.S. military personnel, both Republican and Democrat, have come
forth to publicly denounce the detention camp and the practices conducted therein.
Lt. Commander William C. Kuebler, a life-long Republican, made public objections to
the camp. Similarly, Lt. Colonel Darrel J. Vandeveld condemned the actions in the
detention camp and was subsequently fired. He is one of seven individuals to be either
fired or forced to resign because of their objections to the actions of the United States
at Guantánamo Bay.
Colman noted that it has been a tireless and difficult procedure to try to represent
these imprisoned individuals. There is red tape, security provisions, and cultural
obstacles that must be overcome to effectively bring justice to these individuals. For
example, some of the Muslim men refuse to speak directly to a female attorney and
must communicate through a translator while not viewing the female attorney. Colman
said that all information that he received while in direct contact with prisoners had to
be cleared by the government and is classified to anyone working outside of the camp.
Colman did have some optimism, however. He noted that President Obama plans to
close the detention camp within one year from January 21, 2009. He closed his
presentation by explaining the importance of investigating and disclosing the events of
Guantánamo Bay. He acknowledged that we, as a nation, have sent the wrong
message, allowing despots to justify their actions in the wake of ours. He sressed that
there is the time and ability to take on some of the challenges Guantánamo Bay has
posed and work to ensure they are not repeated in the future.
Ben Patterson, a UW- Madison student, is a freelance writer based in Madison, Wis.
