The Guant疣amo Lawyers: Inside a Prison Outside the Law (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780814785058)

The stories of Guant疣amo detainees, silenced and imprisoned without trial, as told by their lawyers

Following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the United States imprisoned more than seven hundred and fifty men at its naval base at Guant疣amo Bay, Cuba. These men, ranging from teenage boys to men in their eighties from over forty different countries, were detained for years without charges, trial, and a fair hearing. Without any legal status or protection, they were truly outside the law: imprisoned in secret, denied communication with their families, and subjected to extreme isolation, physical and mental abuse, and, in some instances, torture.

These are the detainees' stories, told by their lawyers because the prisoners themselves were silenced. It took habeas counsel more than two years--and a ruling from the United States Supreme Court--to finally gain the right to visit and talk to their clients at Guant疣amo. Even then, lawyers were forced to operate under severe restrictions designed to inhibit communication and envelop the prison in secrecy. In time, however, lawyers were able to meet with their clients and bring the truth about Guant疣amo to the world.

The Guant疣amo Lawyers contains over one hundred personal narratives from attorneys who have represented detainees held at "GTMO" as well as at other overseas prisons, from Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan to secret CIA jails or "black sites." Mark Denbeaux and Jonathan Hafetz--themselves lawyers for detainees--collected stories that cover virtually every facet of Guant疣amo, and the litigation it sparked. Together, these moving, powerful voices create a historical record of Guant疣amo's legal, human, and moral failings, and provide a window into America's catastrophic effort to create a prison beyond the law.

An online archive, hosted by New York University Libraries, will be available at the time of publication and will contain the complete texts as well as other accounts contributed by Guant疣amo lawyers. The documents will be freely available on the Internet for research, teaching, and non-commercial uses, and will be preserved indefinitely as a historical collection.

Read free excerpts from the book at http: //www.theguantanamolawyers.com and explore the complete archive of narratives at http: //dlib.nyu.edu/guantanamo

Author: Jonathan Hafetz
ISBN-10: 0814785050
ISBN-13: 9780814785058
Publisher: New York University Press
Language: English
Published: 03/04/2011
Pages: 464
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.20lbs
Size: 8.73h x 5.74w x 0.80d