Administration says same rights don’t apply to detainees who commit suicide
December 6, 2009 at 7:34 pm by Andrea FloresIn a lawsuit brought forward by the families of two Guantánamo Bay detainees who, according to the US government, committed suicide in 2006, the Justice Department is fighting the right to challenge indefinite detention. The Obama administration is arguing that because the two Saudi men were properly held as enemy combatants, their families’ lawsuit is restricted from the federal court system.
Yassar Talal al-Zaharani and Salah Ali Adbullah Ahmed al-Salami were held at Guantánamo as enemy combatants for over four years before hanging themselves in June 2006. The lawsuit argues that torture and brutal conditions while in US custody led to the two men’s deaths. Talal al-Zahrani, father of Yassar Talal al-Zaharani, commented, ”It doesn’t really matter if this was an intentional death or an accidental death or suicide. The point is that the US government bears responsibility.”
Tags: detention, Guantanamo Bay
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