June 10th Suicides at Guantánamo

June 10th Suicides at Guantánamo is the title of a report published by Professor Mark P. Denbeaux of the Seton Hall University School of Law, his son Joshua Denbeaux, and some of his law students, on August 21 2006.
Mark P. Denbeaux et al, [http://law.shu.edu/news/guantanamo_report_june_suicides_8_21_06.pdf June 10th Suicides at Guantánamo] , "Seton Hall University School of Law", August 21 2006] Mark Denbeaux and Joshua Denbeaux represent two of the Guantanamo detainees in their writ of habeas corpus. The law students who contributed to the report are: David Gratz, John Gregorek, Matthew Darby, Shana Edwards, Shane Hartman, Daniel Mann, Megan Sassaman and Helen Skinner.

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The Guantanamo detainees

US President George W. Bush established a policy for the treatment of captives taken in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001, in which those captives would not be protected by the Geneva Conventions. [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/16/news/CB_GEN_Guantanamo_Combatant_Hearings.php Guantanamo detainees routinely denied witnesses, evidence in hearings, report finds] , "International Herald Tribune", November 16, 2006]

759 men ended up being held in extrajudicial detention in the Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba.

Many released detainees described the brutality and open-ended nature of their incarceration to have triggered in numerous detainees a state of suicidal despair.

Executive Summary

Among the conclusions in the report's Executive Summary were:
Mark P. Denbeaux et al, [http://law.shu.edu/news/guantanamo_report_june_suicides_8_21_06.pdf June 10th Suicides at Guantánamo] , "Seton Hall University School of Law", August 21 2006]
*The Government [incorrectly] reported that none of the three detainees was represented by counsel at the time that they died.
*Federal District Court records reveal the Government thwarted repeated attempts by the three men's attorneys to communicate with their clients.
*The detainees died without information that might have given them hope. One died not knowing that he was to be released to his homeland, Saudi Arabia; a second detainee died without seeing a videotape from his father asking him to cooperate with his American legal counsel.

The dead men's identity

The report quotes official characterizations of the dead men, including citing an Armed Forces Press Service (AFPS) article that quoted DoD official who called the dead men: "...committed jihadists… [who] will do anything they can to advance their cause,"cite news
url=http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun2006/20060610_5379.html
title=Three Guantanamo Bay Detainees Die of Apparent Suicide
author=Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
publisher=American Forces Press Service
date=June 10, 2006
accessdate=2007-10-17] The authors pointed out that the same article said the three dead men were houased in camp 1, not housed in camp 5. [The camp for the most cooperative captives was camp 4.]

The authors pointed out that AFPS article said none of the captives had tried to commit suicide before, and that none of them were considered to be suffering from mental illness.

The report detailed the unsuccessful efforts for the two captives who had lawyers who were trying to meet with them, to help them file writs of habeas corpus. Both teams of lawyers were told that Guantanamo didn't hold anyone at Guantanamo under the names the lawyers were using.

The report quotes the initial Department of Defense denial that any of the men had legal representation.

References