UO symposium to explore treatment of Guantánamo Bay detainees

EUGENE, Ore. — (Sept. 18, 2007) — A panel of experts will discuss legal issues raised by the detention of prisoners at the U.S. Naval base in Guantánamo Bay during a Monday, Oct. 8, symposium at the University of Oregon. 

The Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics is sponsoring the free public event, which will be held from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. in room 175, Knight Law Center, 1515 Agate St.

Panelists include Steve Wax, the federal public defender for the District of Oregon who currently represents seven Guantánamo Bay detainees; Tom Johnson, legal counsel for Guantánamo Bay detainee Ihlkham Battayav; and Ibrahim Gassama, a UO law professor who has done extensive work on human rights and foreign policy issues. Garrett Epps, the 2007-2008 Morse Center Resident Scholar and the UO Hollis Professor of Law will moderate the discussion.

The panel will consider whether current legal processes protect the rights of non-citizens in a democracy and will explore the implications of U.S. treatment of non-citizens during times of war. The discussion will focus on legal strategies for defending the Guantánamo Bay detainees.

The panelists and members of local advocacy groups will meet informally with the public at a reception following the symposium. The reception will take place from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Morse Commons at the law center.

For more information or directions to the event, contact the Wayne Morse center at 541-346-3700. Information also is available on-line at h ttp://www.waynemorsecenter.uoregon.edu.

Link: Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics: http://www.waynemorsecenter.uoregon.edu/events/guantanamo flyer.html