WASHINGTON (PM) — The Supreme Court denies a petition from a Yemeni man held without charges at the U.S. Navy base in Cuba for longer than 17 years. One justice states, “it is past time” to consider the indefinite detention of foreigners at Guantanamo Bay.
Detainee Moath Hamza Ahmed Al-Alwi answers he was effectively committed to life in prison following his arrest in Pakistan and transfer to Guantanamo in January 2002. He maintains the high court needs to decide whether the 2001 congressional authorization to battle al-Qaida and the Taliban following the Sept. 11 attacks authorizes his ongoing detention.
The justices denied the appeal Monday. But Justice Stephen Breyer states the duration and changing nature of the fighting raise issues about whether detentions may proceed.
Al-Alwi is one of 40 current detainees at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
