The Guantanamo Bay military tribunals have finally won their first conviction without a plea deal since 2008. Only it wasn’t a terrorist who was convicted – it was a one-star Marine general sticking up for the rights of the accused to have a fair trial.
In defending the principle that attorneys ought to be able to defend their clients free from government surveillance, Brigadier General John Baker was ruled in contempt of court and sentenced to 21 days in confinement. He also must pay a $1000 fine.
The shocking development at Guantanamo, described as a “national disgrace and an embarrassment” by the executive director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, came on the same day President Donald Trump proposed sending accused New York terror suspect Sayfullo Saipovtot Guantanamo. As a lawful permanent resident, Saipov is ineligible for a war-crimes trial under the 2009 Military Commission Act, which limits the court to non-Americans,
“The military commissions are willing to put people in jail for defending the rule of law,” Jay Connell, who represents another Guantanamo detainee facing a military commission, told reporters. “If they’re willing to put a Marine general in jail for standing up for a client’s rights, they’re willing to do just anything.” More details are here.
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