Gitmo Documents to be Made Public Per Order

2009-06-02 03:34:48 (GMT) (WiredPRNews.com - Law, News)

A judge has ordered that unclassified Gitmo legal documents be released

A judge determined Monday that some legal documents on Gitmo must be made public.

Wired PR News – A federal judge ordered the public release of some unclassified versions of documents pertaining to detainees at Guantanamo Bay. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan sided with those who stated the public had a right to access legal documents filed by the Justice Department that had been temporarily sealed due to their possibly containing classified information.

Hogan is quoted as writing in his decision, “The issue of what to do with the detainees at Guantanamo Bay remains a source of great public interest and debate… Providing the public with access to the charges levied against these detainees, as detailed in the factual returns, ensures greater oversight of the detentions and these proceedings. As long as public access does not come at the expense of the litigation interests of petitioners or national security, the court believes the public has a common law right to access the returns.”

Per the judge’s decision, the Justice Department must publicly file the records or put in a request for what must be kept confidential by July 29.