The Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC) will host a virtual panel event on Tuesday 17 September 2024 at 18:00 BST to mark the launch of our most recent trial observation report authored by Zimran Samuel MBE, BHRC Executive Committee member, following his visit on behalf of BHRC to Guantanamo for the 49th set of pretrial hearings in the case of USA v Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, et al – the trial of five men for a range of crimes relating to the planning of the 9/11 hijackings and attacks on the US.
Speakers for the panel launch event, which will be chaired by Jodie Blackstock (Barrister and Member of the Executive Committee, BHRC) include:
Zimran Samuel MBE, Barrister and BHRC Executive Committee Member, Guantanamo Trial Observer & Report Author
James Connell, Learned Counsel at the Military Commissions Defense Organisation (MCDO), representing Ammar al Baluchi
Colleen Kelly, Co-Founder, 9/11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
Alex McGrath, University of Michigan Law School and trial observer for the National Institute for Military Justice
In 2019, BHRC became the only UK-based organisation to be granted official observer status for the ongoing trials at the Military Commission. BHRC has observed three cases and has submitted amicus briefs to the Court and Court of Military Commissions Review. BHRC continues to highlight human rights issues and express serious concern that the proceedings before the Military Commissions demonstrate a fundamental departure from fair trial norms and the rule of law. We also continue to call for the closure of Camp Justice.
Register here
Previous BHRC work since being given observer status includes:
BHRC Amicus to the Guantanamo Bay Military Tribunal, February 22, 2019
BHRC Trial Observation Report, USA v Mohammed et al, September 2021
BHRC Trial Observation Report, Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp, April 26, 2022
BHRC Update to Guantanamo Military Commissions 2023, launched with a panel event June 2, 2023
