[JURIST] The US-led Combined Review and Release Board [military press release] created in August 2004 to expedite the screening process for detainees taken into custody in Iraq by US and Iraqi forces has so far approved the outright release of more than 2,700 detainees, released another 5,300 to guarantors, and denied the release of 6,500, a spokesman for detention operations said Tuesday. The board meets 3-4 times a week and is comprised of 15 members, including six Iraqi government officials, two representatives each from the Iraqi justice, interior and human rights ministries and three Multinational Forces officers. A second panel of the same size was created last month "to cut the time detainees wait for board review in half." The Iraqi government and the military examines each case within the first 90 days of detention while the review board examines the files within 180 days. Iraq's Central Criminal Court [Wikipedia profile] also screens detainees for possible prosecutions, and has so far flagged more than 1,700 detainees and conducted 286 trials leading to more than 338 convictions. AP has more.