US military charges Afghan detainee at Guantanamo with war crimes News
US military charges Afghan detainee at Guantanamo with war crimes

[JURIST] US military prosecutors have brought war crimes charges [charge sheet, PDF] against a detainee at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archives] who they allege stored and concealed anti-tank mines in Afghanistan [JURIST news archive]. The detainee, named Obaidullah, was charged Wednesday with conspiracy and providing material support for terrorism [text, 10 USC 950v(b)(25),(28)]. For Obaidullah to stand trial, the charges must be approved by Susan Crawford, convening authority for US military commissions [DOD materials; JURIST news archive]. The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. Reuters has more.

Although twenty-three other Guantanamo detainees have been charged with war crimes, only one trial has taken place. Salim Hamdan, a former driver for Osama bin Laden [JURIST news archives], was convicted last month of supporting terrorism and sentenced [JURIST report] to 5.5 years in prison. The US Department of Defense (DOD) [official website] hopes to try as many as 80 Guantanamo detainees.