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DOJ Won’t Limit Gitmo Lawyer Visits

Posted May 12, 2007, 09:08 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss

The Justice Department has dropped a request to restrict lawyer visits with Guantanamo detainees, but is persisting in efforts to screen communications and limit access to evidence.

DOJ lawyers said they were dropping the request for a three-visit limit in a filing yesterday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, according to the New York Times.

However, the DOJ will continue to press for screening of lawyer-client mail and denial of access to secret evidence used against the detainees.

Vincent Warren, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, which has coordinated detainee representation, called the retreat “window dressing.” The request for other restrictions makes meaningful representation impossible, he told the newspaper.

ABA President Karen J. Mathis had criticized the plan to limit visits.

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