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07 October 2010 / Ron Cheriyan
Issue: 7436 / Categories: Opinion , Human rights
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Young blood

The ill-treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay is not a new revelation.

Ron Cheriyan speaks out against a dangerous precedent

The ill-treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay is not a new revelation.The sight of hooded and shackled detainees has become all too familiar and represents the rather ugly face of the war on terror. In spite of this, the alleged ill-treatment and trial of a child soldier has brought even greater shame to the infamous naval base. 

On 12 August 2010, Omar Khadr was put on trial for throwing a hand grenade at a US soldier, which resulted in the soldier’s death. The offence was allegedly committed in Afghanistan during a gun fight involving US Forces. Mr Khadr, a Canadian citizen, was also charged with committing four other war crimes which included attempted murder, conspiracy, providing material support for terrorism, and spying on US forces in Afghanistan. Two days later, Mr Khadr’s trial was postponed for a month due to the ill-health of his military lawyer—it is now scheduled to start later this month.

Trials

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Hugh James—Jonathan Askin

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The cab-rank rule remains a bulwark of the rule of law, yet lawyers are increasingly judged by their clients’ causes. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian McDougall, president of the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation, warns that conflating representation with endorsement is a ‘clear and present danger’
Holiday lets may promise easy returns, but restrictive covenants can swiftly scupper plans. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Francis of Serle Court recounts how covenants limiting use to a ‘private dwelling house’ or ‘private residence’ have repeatedly defeated short-term letting schemes
Artificial intelligence (AI) is already embedded in the civil courts, but regulation lags behind practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Ben Roe of Baker McKenzie charts a landscape where AI assists with transcription, case management and document handling, yet raises acute concerns over evidence, advocacy and even judgment-writing
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