At Guantanamo, Caught In A Legal Trap

The men came from Algeria to Bosnia during the 1992-95 Bosnian war. Most were former Muslim fighters who became humanitarian aid workers after the war. They remain imprisoned because the U.S. military still classifies them as "enemy combatants" in the fight against terrorism. A review of thousands of pages of military and civilian court documents, however, shows that many reasons given for the designation are based on flawed or dubious evidence. The case illustrates how difficult it will be to meet President Bush's stated goal to close Guantanamo as quickly as possible. About 450 detainees remain. While some face military commissions that could sentence them to long prison terms, most are expected to be released to their home countries. Senior Bosnian officials said they have been told by U.S. diplomats that the six Algerians will never be allowed to return to Bosnia, which had granted dual citizenship to most of the men before their seizure. Instead, U.S. officials have pressed Algeria to take back the prisoners on the condition that they be confined or kept under surveillance there. So far, the Algerian government has balked. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/20/AR2006082000660.html?sub=AR

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