Observing justice at Guantánamo Bay: human rights NGOs and trial monitoring at the US military commissions

The article critically considers the role of NGOs at the US naval base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. On the basis of observation of pre-trial hearings for the case against Khalid Sheik Mohammed et al.—those allegedly responsible for the September 11 attacks—the article analyses NGOs as trial monitors of...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Lohne, Kjersti (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2021
In: Human rights review
Year: 2021, Volume: 22, Issue: 2, Pages: 193-213
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
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Keywords:
Torture
September 11
Military commissions
Human rights monitoring
Fair trial rights
Counter-terrorism
Description
Summary:The article critically considers the role of NGOs at the US naval base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. On the basis of observation of pre-trial hearings for the case against Khalid Sheik Mohammed et al.—those allegedly responsible for the September 11 attacks—the article analyses NGOs as trial monitors of the US military commissions set up to deal with ‘alien unprivileged enemy belligerents’. In spite of continued efforts by human rights NGOs and incremental improvements in the military commissions’ institutional arrangements and practice, the article shows how NGOs have become so much a part of the everyday operation of justice at ‘Gitmo’ that they legitimate the military commissions’ claim to be delivering fair and transparent justice.
ISSN:1874-6306
DOI:10.1007/s12142-021-00619-z