First Gitmo Detainee Status Overturned

Well, that didn't take long. The first guest of the Gitmo Hilton has had his day in court and as expected the Federal Appeals Court in DC overturned his classification as an enemy combatant. In issuing the ruling the court told military authorities to either release him, transfer him or hold a new proceeding. Well, I don't know where they expect us to transfer him to. Send him home. Screw it.

He is a Chinese citizen who belongs to a group known as the Uighurs. They are Chinese Muslims. I am sure China doesn't play any of this habeus corpus BS and will deal with him accordingly.

The court told the defendant that he could petition for immediate release if he wanted to.

For the real kick in the groin, the three-member appeals court panel was made of one judge appointed by Reagan, one by Clinton, and one by George W Bush.

The story can be accessed on the Fox News Website. Since in abiding by the AP rules and not having a ton of dough to send them, I won't link directly to the article lest I violate one of their rules, and until I can find a non-AP source for this source.

It gets downright maddening sometimes.

Gitmo Terrorists Cannot Challenge Detention

Oh well.

Guantanamo Bay detainees may not challenge their detention in U.S. courts, a federal appeals court said Tuesday in a ruling upholding a key provision of a law at the center of President Bush's anti-terrorism plan.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 2-1 that civilian courts no longer have the authority to consider whether the military is illegally holding foreigners.

Barring detainees from the U.S. court system was a key provision in the Military Commissions Act, which Bush pushed through Congress last year to set up a system to prosecute terrorism suspects.

Flags fly at half-staff at ACLU headquarters.