Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Judge Orders Uighurs' Release from Guantanamo

On October 7 a federal judge ordered that 17 Chinese Muslims (known as Uighurs) detained at the Guantanamo Bay military prison be released into the United States by Friday, the Washington Post reported. You can read U.S. District Judge Ricardo M. Urbina's court opinion here. It was the first time a U.S. judge ordered a Guantanamo Bay prisoner to be released as well as the first instance in which a foreign national held at Guantanamo has been ordered transferred to the United States.

The U.S. Department of Justice is appealing the ruling. Yesterday it issued a press release contending that Judge Urbina's ruling "presents serious national security and separation of powers concerns and raises unprecedented legal issues."

If you need more resources on the subject, see our subject guides on Crime and Justice and Terrorism.

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