Salim Hamdan

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Salim Ahmed Hamdan
Other names Saqr al-Jedawi [1]
Spouse Umm Fatima
Children Two daughters born 2000, 2002

Salim Ahmed Hamdan (سالم احمد حمدان) (born circa 1970[1]) is a Yemeni man, captured during the invasion of Afghanistan, and imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay. He admits to being Osama bin Laden's personal driver claiming he needed the $200 monthly salary that came with the job.[2]

He was charged with "conspiracy and providing material support for terrorism" but a judge declared the judicial system in place at the time unconstitutional and those charges were dropped on June 5, 2007.[3] He was then held, without being charged, as an enemy combatant. He was brought up on new charges on July 21, 2008, and found guilty of "providing material support" to al Qaeda, but was cleared of terrorism conspiracy charges.[4] He was sentenced to five-and-a-half years of imprisonment by a military jury, being counted as having already served five years of the sentence at the time. A Pentagon spokesman noted that Hamdan may still be considered an "enemy combatant" upon completing his sentence and detained indefinitely.[5] Despite the threat to detain him indefinitely, the U.S. in November 2008 transferred him to Yemen to serve out the remainder of his sentence. He was released January 8, 2009[6] to live with his family in Sana.

Hamdan's numerous legal efforts, as one of the first detainees at Guantanamo Bay to be given formal charges, have been a focal point for debate and criticism relating to the questions of indefinite detention in the "War on Terror", the ability of Guantanamo Bay detainees to petition for habeas corpus, the validity of military commissions rather than civil trials for alleged terrorists, and the correct implementation of the Geneva Conventions for terrorist suspects. His case was the instigation for the United States Supreme Court decision Hamdan v. Rumsfeld (2006), and his case has been covered by major U.S. news organizations since 2004.

Capture in Afghanistan

Salim Hamdan was captured in southern Afghanistan on November 24, 2001. According to documents obtained by the Associated Press, he was captured in a car with four other alleged al-Qaeda associates, including Osama bin laden's son-in-law, three of whom were killed in a firefight with Afghan forces. Hamdan and the other surviving associate in the car were later turned over to U.S. forces.[7]

Trial timeline

On July 14, 2004, the Department of Defense formally charged Salim Ahmed Hamdan with conspiracy, for trial by military commission under the President’s Order of November 13, 2001.[8][9]

On November 8, 2004 the United States District Court for the District of Columbia halted Hamdan's military commission because no "competent tribunal" had determined whether Mr Hamdan was a POW (as required by the Geneva Conventions), and because regardless of such determination, the commission violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).

On October 22, 2004, General John D. Altenburg, the retired officer in overall charge of the commissions, removed three of the six original Military Commission members to avoid the potential of bias.[10]

The Bush administration appealed the ruling that halted the military commissions. In the meantime, the Department of Defense started Combatant Status Review Tribunals of all the Guantanamo detainees. The tribunals extended from July 2004 through March 2005.

On July 17, 2005, a three-judge panel on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overturned Hamdan's appeal.[11][12] The panel said that the Geneva Convention does not apply to members of al-Qaida. The military commissions were set back in motion. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts was one of the judges on that panel, and voted against Hamdan's appeal, shortly before being nominated for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

On November 7, 2005, the Supreme Court issued a writ of certiorari agreeing to review the decision of the DC Circuit Court.[13] Roberts recused himself due to his earlier participation in the case.

On June 29, 2006, the Supreme Court ruled in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld that the military commissions had procedural flaws and were invalid, as they violated the UCMJ and protections of the Geneva Convention adopted in both the US civil and military systems of law.[14]

Supreme Court opinion

On June 29, 2006, the Supreme Court delivered its opinion in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld. Justice Roberts recused himself due to earlier participation in the case as a judge on the DC circuit court prior to his nomination for chief justice. The case also considered whether the Supreme Court had the jurisdiction to enforce the articles of the 1949 Geneva convention and whether Congress had the power to prevent the Court from reviewing the case of an accused enemy combatant before his military commission. In a 5-3 plurality, the Court held that the military commissions which were established to try the detainees at Guantanamo Bay lack "the power to proceed because its structures and procedures violate both the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the four Geneva Conventions signed in 1949."[15] The ruling specifies Common Article 3 of the Third Geneva Convention as the provision that was violated.

In response to the Supreme Court decision, Congress passed the Military Commissions Act of 2006, in an attempt grant the President the necessary authority to create the commissions. Hamdan's trial is scheduled to begin in June 2006.

Charged under the Military Commissions Act

New charges were laid against Hamdan on May 10, 2007.[16]

Hamdan is charged with conspiracy and "providing support for terrorism".[16] According to the Houston Chronicle, Lieutenant Commander Charles Swift, Hamdan's lawyer, argued that conspiracy charges were inappropriate for junior people like Hamdan. According to the Houston Chronicle, Commander Jeffrey Gordon, a DoD spokesman, disputed the assertion that Hamdan was just a low-level player.

Charges dismissed

In two separate rulings all charges were dropped against Hamdan and Canadian youth Omar Khadr, on the 4th June 2007.[17][18] Army Judge Colonel Peter Brownback, and US Navy Judge Captain Keith J. Allred, ruled that the men's Combatant Status Review Tribunals had merely confirmed the men's enemy combatants status; while the Military Commissions Act only gave the Guantanamo Military Commissions the authority to try "unlawful enemy combatants", they lacked the jurisdiction to try the men. James Westhead of the BBC said that the court ruling, which affects all 380 Guantanamo inmates, represents a "stunning blow" against the Bush administration's efforts at bringing the inmates to trial.[19]

According to the BBC, following the rulings, the US government appears to have three legal options open to it:[19]

  • Scrap the legal process and start again.
  • Redefine the inmates as "unlawful" enemy combatants at a separate hearing.
  • Appeal the court ruling. But there is no appeals court, the "military commission review" has not been set up yet.

According to the Washington Post the ruling made more likely the passage of a Senate bill restoring access to the US Court system to the Guantanamo captives.[18] The Washington Post speculated that the ruling might force whatever trials take place to take place in the civilian court system, or in the already established military courts martial system.

Deemed an "illegal enemy combatant"

On December 21, 2007 Allred heard arguments, and made his ruling, that Hamdan was an "illegal enemy combatant", who could be tried by a military commission.[20] Lieutenant Brian Mizer, one of Hamdan's lawyers, said his team had introduced evidence that:

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February 8, 2008 hearing

A hearing was convened on February 8, 2008.[21]

Mental stability

Hamdan's lawyers have filed a request with Allred requesting he be moved from solitary confinement.[22][23][24] They argue that solitary confinement is having such a negative impact on his mental stability that it is impairing his ability to assist in his own defense. Andrea Prasow wrote:

"I do not believe that Mr. Hamdan will be able to materially assist in his own defense if his conditions do not improve.

His attorneys say he had only been allowed two exercise periods in the previous month.[22]

Hamdan had been housed in camp 4, the camp for the most compliant captives until December 2006.[22] Captives in camp 4 wear white uniforms, sleep in communal dormitories and can use an exercise yard and mingle with other captives for up to 20 hours a day. Hamdan was moved to camp 5, where captives spend almost the entire day in isolation in a windowless cell.

Emily Keram, a psychiatrist examined Hamdan and, according to the Seattle Post Intelligencer:

"...said he shows signs of post-traumatic stress disorder and could be at risk for "suicidal thoughts and behavior."

Hamdan's lawyers compared the treatment accorded to Omar Khadr with that accorded to Hamdan. They have requested Khadr appear before Allred to explain why he was housed in Camp Four. They pointed out that Khadr had been allowed a phone call to his family.

According to the International Herald Tribune, his lawyers said

"he is suicidal, hears voices, has flashbacks, talks to himself and says the restrictions of Guantánamo "boil his mind."[25]

Missing records

Hamdan's Defense expressed a concern that the Prosecution had been withholding some of Hamdan's records from them.[21] Lieutenant Commander Timothy Stone told Allred that they had turned over copies of records, except for those from 2002—which they had been unable to locate. However, he assured Allred they were still looking for them.

Chief Prosecutor Colonel Lawrence Morris guessed that the missing files contained "generally innocuous stuff":[21]

"It depends on how you characterize a record . . . there are records that show what a guy eats for a meal. Every statement . . . that we are in possession of . . . the defense has."

Access to the high value detainees

Hamdan's lawyers requested access to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the other thirteen high value detainees.[21] Chief Prosecutor Morris replied:

"We can't . . . just provide them the opportunity (to) just knock on a cell and go walking through the compound seeking information."

Allred postponed ruling on Hamdan's lawyer's request.[26]

Boycott

On April 29, after seven years of cooperation, Hamdan announced he was joining the on-going Boycott of Guantanamo Military Commissions, stating "America tells the whole world that it has freedom and justice. I do not see that...There are almost 100 detainees here. We do not see any rights. You do not give us the least bit of humanity...Give me a just court...Try me with a just law.'"[27]

July hearings

Hamdan's actual trial began on July 21, 2008.[28][29] On July 26, the New York Times reported that "Mr. Hamdan's offenses are not enumerated anywhere, but appear to include checking the oil and the tire pressure."[30][31] Matt Bors, a syndicated editorial cartoonist, lampooned the Government's case against Hamdam, as an attempt to "destroy Bin laden's vast network of enablers," which included "drivers, wives, landlords and those to feed him," as well as "his tailor."[31]

Jury selection

Thirteen candidates for the jury went through voir dire.[32] Six jury members, and an alternate, were selected on July 21, 2008.[29]

Reuters reports that the jurors identities were being kept secret.[33] Reuters reports that a juror who was working in the Pentagon during al Qaeda's attack on the Pentagon was turned down for jury duty.

Another officer who knew the Captain of the USS Cole was also turned down. Reuters reported he was a former police officer, and quoted him as saying:

  • "I believe in law and order. I believe in justice."
  • "I believe that in our line of work, people get hurt and people get killed. It's what we do."

Another officer who was worried about a good friend who was working in the Pentagon was accepted.

Innocence plea

Hamdan pled not guilty to all charges.[34]

Evidence from coercive testimony proscribed

According to USA Today Hamdan's Presiding Officer, Keith Allred, ruled that Prosecutors could not use confessions he made when in American custody in Bagram Theater Internment Facility and a detention facility in Panjshir, because he was subjected to coercive interrogation techniques.[28][32] According to the Washington Post Chief Prosecutor Lawrence Morris responded to the ruling by saying:

"We accept the ruling, and we'll go to trial in the morning. You don't always get everything you're interested in, but it does not reduce my confidence in our ability to fully depict Mr. Hamdan's criminality."

Allegations of responsibility

Carol Rosenberg, writing in the Miami Herald, reported that on Monday July 28, 2008 Prosecution witnesses:[35]

allege his crimes cover the era of the embassies car bombings and a suicide attack by an explosives-laden boat on the USS Cole in 2002, even though he neither plotted nor knew about the terror attacks beforehand.

Role of Abdellah Tabarak

On July 24, 2008 Michael St. Ours, a Naval Criminal Investigative Service agent, testified that Abdellah Tabarak had been in charge of Osama bin Laden's security detail.[36] According to Carol Rosenberg of the Miami Herald, St. Ours "looked stunned" when Hamdan's Defense Counsel asked him if he knew that Tabarak had been released without charge.[37] Andrew Cohen, a legal affairs commentator for CBS News, called the testimony that Tabarak had been released a "colossal embarrassment".[38] He commented:

Oops. Bet the Administration would rather have Tabarak on trial than Hamdan.

Sexual humiliation

Hamdan's Prosecution had failed to comply with a ruling from the Presiding Officer to hand over documents from Hamdan's interrogations until July 28, 2008.[39] On July 31, 2008 the New York Times reported that Hamdan's lawyers found a document from one of his interrogators that confirmed Hamdan's account that female interrogators had subjected him to sexual interrogation. Harry H. Schneider Jr., said that after reading this document Hamdan's account of sexual humiliation was “right on the money”. Prosecutor John Murphy disputed that what the interrogation document described should be described as coercion. He stated:

“It casts a sort of black cloud over the agents and those who work with detainees, and what’s been put forth doesn’t show it.”

Robert McFadden's testimony that Hamdan swore an oath of fealty to Bin Laden

There was controversy over whether former FBI agent Robert McFadden's testimony would be allowed.[40]

The Presiding Officer had already ruled that the testimony of most of Hamdan's first interrogators was inadmissible, due to the use of coercion.[41] On July 29, 2008 The Presiding Officer ruled that he was going to penalize the Prosecution for falling to release documents to the Defense by disallowing McFadden's testimony.[42]

The key testimony expected from McFadden was that he heard Hamdan confirm that he had sworn "bayat", a kind of oath of fealty, to Osama Bin Laden.[40]

Allred decided to allow McFadden's testimony.[43]

Phone Call

When Salim Ahmed Hamdan was allowed a call home, on August 6, 2008, after his Guantanamo Military Commission acquitted him of conspiracy and convicted him of material support for terrorism, his was the 107th call.[44]

Sentencing

On August 7, 2008, Hamdan was sentenced by the military jury to five and a half years (66 months) imprisonment. Prosecutors had urged a sentence of 30 years-to-life, while Hamdan's defense had recommended less than 45 months. At the time he was already credited for serving 61 months, meaning his sentence imposed only five months additional imprisonment. A Pentagon spokesman noted that Hamdan's status could revert to "enemy combatant" after his sentence was served, and as such he could be indefinitely detained.[5]

Allred, the Presiding Officer of his Commission, called Hamdan a "small player," and stated this sentence meant Hamdan would be eligible to having his continued detention reviewed by an Administrative Review Board when his sentence was over.[45][46] He told Hamdan:

"I hope the day comes that you return to your wife and daughters and your country, and you're able to be a provider, a father and a husband in the best sense of all those terms."

Former Chief Prosecutor Morris Davis commented:[46]

  • "The decision showed what the jury thought Hamdan was worth."
  • "Hamdan would be the two of clubs."
  • "There is a perception that trying people in front of the military was going to be a rubber-stamp process. This shows they are conscientious, following instructions and are making rational decisions."

According to the Associated Press former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs Charles "Cully" Stimson's reaction to the sentence was:[47] The Associated Press reported that Stimson sent an e-mail about Hamdan's conviction that said:

"The lesson I hope the government learns from this case, amongst other things, is ... don't bring skimpy or weak charges of conspiracy."

The American Civil Liberties Union's spokesman Ben Wizner, said:[47]

"If the government heard the jury's message, it will not use a flawed war court to prosecute conduct that does not violate the laws of war."

On August 10, 2008 Josh White, writing in the Washington Post reported that Hamdan Prosecution and Defense had discussed a plea deal in late 2006.[48] He reported that Charles "Cully" Stimson, who was then the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs, had agreed to make a case for a negotiated sentence of ten years. According to White Stimson said more senior Bush officials "were stubborn" and "rejected the notion of a 'mere 10 years.'" Bush administration officials had rejected the idea of a ten year sentence as too lenient.

On August 11, 2008 Jess Bravin of the Wall Street Journal reported on interviews with one of Hamdan's jurors.[49] Bravin reported that the juror said the verdict was not intended to be a rebuke to the Bush administration, rather, "...it came down to the evidence that we were allowed to see."

On September 26, 2008 Lawrence Morris, Guantanamo's Chief Prosecutor asked for a new sentencing hearing for Hamdan.[50] Morris has requested Hamdan not be granted credit for time served, and should thus serve a further six years. The Department of Defense argues that they can continue to hold the captives who receive sentences from the Military Commissions, even after their sentences are over. Hamdan's military lawyer, Lt. Cmdr. Brian Mizer said:[51]

"The government, having stacked the deck, is now complaining about the hand it was dealt."

On 31 October 2008 Allred ruled that Hamdan's sentence would not be reconsidered.[52]

Return to Yemen

In November 2008, Hamdan was transferred to Yemen to serve out the remaining month of his sentence. His family were not allowed to meet him at Sanaa International Airport.[53]

Chuck Schmitz, one of Hamdan's translators in Guantanamo, has been approached to co-write a book with Hamdan, about his experiences.[54] Schmitz was a Fulbright Scholar when he was approached to translate for Hamdan in 2004, and is now a Professor at Towson University.

On March 31, 2014, Andrea Prasow, formerly one of Hamdan's lawyers, published an update in Slate magazine, after a recent visit to him in Yemen.[55] She found Hamdan "heavier and happier" than she remembered him. She reported his wife had borne him two more children, sons, since his release.

See also

References

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  2. CanWest News Service, Lawyer alleges preferential treatment of Khadr, April 8, 2008
  3. Tran, Mark (2007-06-05). "Profile: Salim Ahmed Hamdan". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/guantanamo/story/0,,2095889,00.html. Retrieved 2007-08-01. 
  4. "Bin Laden's driver to be first test of Gitmo trials". MSNBC. 2008-07-18. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25730678/. Retrieved 2008-07-18. 
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  10. White, Josh (2004-10-22). "Panel for Detainees' Cases Cut in Half". Washington Post: p. A12. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52680-2004Oct21.html. 
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  13. Gina Holland (2005-11-07). "Supreme Court to Hear Tribunals Challenge". The Guardian (London). Archived from the original on 2005-11-08. http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5399108,00.html. "The Supreme Court agreed Monday to review a constitutional challenge to the Bush administration's military trials for foreign terror suspects, stepping into a high-stakes test of the president's wartime powers." 
  14. Denniston, Lyle (2006-06-29 authorlink = Lyle Denniston). "Decisions: Hamdan decided, military commissions invalid". SCOTUSblog. http://www.scotusblog.com/movabletype/archives/2006/06/decisions_5.html. 
  15. Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, Supreme Court Syllabus, pg. 4., point 4.
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  18. 18.0 18.1 "Stuck in Guantanamo: President Bush tried to create a new legal system for terrorism suspects. He created a quagmire instead.". Washington Post. 2007-06-07. p. A26. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/06/AR2007060602302.html. Retrieved 2007-06-07. 
  19. 19.0 19.1 "Guantanamo pair charges dropped". BBC News. 2007-06-05. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6720315.stm. Retrieved 2007-06-05. 
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  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 Steven Edwards (February 7, 2008). "Records missing at Guantanamo Bay". Canwest News Service. http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=d4ab2d55-75a2-4642-8565-d40ff79fc319&k=29442. Retrieved 2008-02-01. 
  22. 22.0 22.1 22.2 Michael Melia (February 8, 2008). "Lawyers: Gitmo Detainee Breaking Down". Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004169413_apguantanamobinladensdriver07.html. Retrieved 2008-02-09. 
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  24. Mike Rosen-Molina (February 7, 2008). "Hamdan lawyers urge judge to drop military commission charges". The Jurist. http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2008/02/hamdan-urges-judge-to-drop-military.php. Retrieved 2008-02-09. 
  25. Guantánamo drives prisoners insane, lawyers say, By William Glaberson, April 26, 2008, International Herald Tribune
  26. Michael Melia (February 9, 2008). "Judge Mulls Bin Laden's Driver Request". Associated Press. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hIxS9uBGwlxxmS0BCdgCWrrbmBZwD8ULU3AO0. Retrieved 2008-02-09. 
  27. Colson, Deborah. Human Rights First, Another Boycott at Guantánamo, Another Test for the Military Commission System, April 30, 2008
  28. 28.0 28.1 Michael Winter (2008-07-21). "Guantanamo judge bars evidence from 'highly coercive' interrogations". USA Today. http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/07/guantanamo-judg.html. Retrieved 2008-07-21.  mirror
  29. 29.0 29.1 Alan Gomez, Emily Bazar (2008-07-21). "Jury selection today in Gitmo trial". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/judicial/2008-07-20-gitmo_N.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-21.  mirror
  30. New York Times, July 26, 2008.
  31. 31.0 31.1 Matt Bors, Editorial Cartoon, for the Village Voice and Cleveland Free Times, August 7, 2008, found at American Association of Editorial cartoonists website. Accessed August 22, 2008.
  32. 32.0 32.1 Jerry Markon (2008-07-21). "Guantanamo Judge Blocks Use of Some Statements". Washington Post. p. A01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/21/AR2008072100778.html?hpid=topnews. Retrieved 2008-07-21. 
  33. Jim Loney (2008-07-21). "US officers say they're impartial in Guantanamo case". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN21463432. Retrieved 2008-07-22.  mirror
  34. "Bin Laden's driver pleads not guilty in Guantanamo trial". Agence France Press. 2008-07-21. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gk8pwmaYvxbRj4r8_RxchUobZA1g. Retrieved 2008-07-21.  mirror
  35. Carol Rosenberg (2008-07-29). "Lawyers give expert testimony at bin Laden's driver's trial". McClatchy News Service. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/world/story/45762.html. Retrieved 2008-07-29.  mirror
  36. "Detainee on trial said boss left Guantanamo". Associated Press. 2008-07-24. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iS6CxsVETGqgSWUvA-G-K2QyVvnAD924K4SG0. Retrieved 2008-07-25.  mirror
  37. Carol Rosenberg (2008-07-25). "U.S. had top al-Qaida guard, let him go free". Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008071963_gitmo25.html. Retrieved 2008-07-25. "Chief among them was Casablanca-born Abdallah Tabarak, then 47, described by St. Ours as 'a hard individual,' and, thanks to Hamdan, 'the head bodyguard of all the bodyguards.'"  mirror
  38. Andrew Cohen (2008-07-25). "Ho Hum Hamdan". CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/25/opinion/courtwatch/main4292911.shtml. Retrieved 2008-07-25. "...the only true news to have emerged so far from the trial is a colossal embarrassment to the government and has nothing to do with Hamdan. Evidently, Hamdan told his interrogators years ago that they had released from Gitmo (back to Morocco) a "hard guy" terror suspect named Abdellah Tabarak. Oops. Bet the Administration would rather have Tabarak on trial than Hamdan."  mirror
  39. William Glaberson (2008-07-31). "Lawyers for Detainee Assert Coercion". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/us/31gitmo.html?ref=us. Retrieved 2008-07-31. "A secret government document submitted at the trial of the first detainee to face a war crimes trial confirms the detainee’s account of having been sexually humiliated while interrogated by a female government agent, defense lawyers said at the tribunal here on Wednesday."  mirror
  40. 40.0 40.1 Carol J. Williams (2008-07-31). "At Guantanamo, Hamdan defense tries to block agent's testimony". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-hamdan31-2008jul31,0,2905559.story. Retrieved 2008-07-31. "Judge Keith Allred, a U.S. Navy captain, said the government could not use statements made by Hamdan during his interrogation at Guantanamo as a penalty for not providing his defence team with potentially important documents until after the military trial had started."  mirror
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  43. "Guantanamo judge allows disputed interrogation". Associated Press. 2008-07-31. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hlkUMaokG6I7flYKGhlBfsW9qP9wD928SCOO0. Retrieved 2008-07-31. "Allred's ruling cleared the way for Robert McFadden, an agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, to describe the interrogation to jurors as the final prosecution witness."  mirror
  44. Carol Rosenberg (2008-08-06). "Gitmo jury deliberates; driver phones home". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 2008-08-08. http://www.miamiherald.com/835/story/630450.html. Retrieved 2008-08-08. 
  45. Carol Rosenberg (2008-08-08). "Former bin Laden driver gets light sentence". McClatchy News Services. Archived from the original on 2013-05-14. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2008/08/07/46750/bin-ladens-driver-gets-light-sentence.html#.Uzlg7oW_w6w. Retrieved 2008-08-09.  mirror
  46. 46.0 46.1 "Guantanamo jury gives bin Laden driver 5 1/2 years". China Daily. 2008-08-08. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2008-08/08/content_6915811.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-09.  mirror
  47. 47.0 47.1 Mike Melia (2008-08-09). "Guantanamo defendants mostly low-level figures". Associated Press. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j_1zsCI99c1MmBU5swZm9L_CpgWgD92EC8VG7. Retrieved 2008-08-08.  mirror
  48. Josh White (2008-08-10). "Plea deal was discussed for bin Laden's driver: 10-year sentence deemed too short, but then he got 5 1/2". Houston Chronicle. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/world/5935434.html. Retrieved 2008-08-11.  mirror
  49. Jess Bravin (2008-08-11). "Hamdan Jury Felt Evidence Didn't Back U.S. Claim". Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121832872967027369.html. Retrieved 2008-08-11.  mirror
  50. Mike Melia (2008-09-25). "Gitmo prosecutors seek resentencing for detainee". KSL. http://www.ksl.com/?nid=235&sid=4364297. Retrieved 2008-09-26.  mirror
  51. "The U.S. military court has spoken". 2008-10-18. http://www.newschief.com/article/20081018/NEWS/810180326/1013/OPINION?Title=The_U_S__military_court_has_spoken. Retrieved 2008-10-18.  mirror
  52. David McFadden (2008-10-31). "Guantanamo judge rejects request to redo sentence". Associated Press. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gglrR7Vtd6ok0BFD4uVb3B9-ZYpQD9456A181. Retrieved 2008-11-01.  mirror
  53. Al Jazeera, Bin Laden driver arrives in Yemen, November 26, 2008
  54. "Lost in Translation". Urbanite Baltimore. 2009-02-26. http://www.urbanitebaltimore.com/sub.cfm?issueID=70&sectionID=4&articleID=1170. Retrieved 2009-02-26.  more
  55. Andrea Rrasow (2014-03-31). "The Yemenis at Guantánamo: Catching up with Salim Hamdan, the “lucky Yemeni who managed to leave the prison". Slate magazine. Archived from the original on 2014-03-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20140331004257/http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2014/03/salim_hamdan_and_the_yemeni_prisoners_who_can_t_leave_the_prison_at_guant.html. "In an echo of that first visit, I met, earlier that same day, with the family members of men still trapped at the U.S. naval base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Their fathers, sons, husbands, and brothers had already spent over a decade in the prison, but none have been charged with crimes, and many were cleared for release by the U.S. government years ago. Compared with them, Hamdan is the “lucky” one." 

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