USA: Hearings Begin at Guantánamo Bay

Military court proceedings for four detainees, two Yemenis, a Sudanese and an Australian currently held at the US army base began on 25 August and lasted four days. The detainees are being tried under the Military Order on the Detention, Treatment, and Trial of Certain Non-Citizens in the War Against Terrorism, signed by President George W. Bush on 13 November 2001. The Order allows non-US citizens to be held indefinitely without charge or trial, or to be tried by military commissions,The four men have been charged with conspiracy to commit terrorism and other crimes. The first Military Commission is made up of five US officers and chaired by a retired army Colonel. A number of international observers and journalists were allowed to attend the proceedings, but they were excluded when classified information was discussed. The hearings will continue in the following months.