Lawyer Cites Torture for Wanting Charges Dropped Against Gitmo Detainee
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A lawyer in New York is arguing that charges be dismissed against the first Guantanamo Bay detainee in civilian courts because he was tortured and denied a trial for so long.
Attorney Peter Enrique Quijano told Manhattan federal Judge Lewis Kaplan on Monday that the right to a speedy trial means charges should be dismissed against his client, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani. Kaplan did not immediately rule.
Quijano says Ghailani was subject to so-called "enhanced interrogation methods" for 14 hours over five days and was denied trial for four years.
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Ghailani is accused of deadly bombings at two U.S. embassies in Africa in 1998. Prosecutors say the delay in bringing him to trial was to gain information to save lives.