Patrick M. McCarthy (lawyer)
Patrick McCarthy is an American lawyer and officer in the United States Navy.[1] McCarthy was appointed Joint Task Force Guantanamo’s Staff Judge Advocate, its lead attorney, from May 2006 to May 2008.[2]
In an interview with the liberal National Public Radio's Fresh Air McCarthy stated:[1]
“Guantanamo has been [incorrectly] painted as a place where detainees are sent and are held incognito, [a place] where they lack access to courts, their family members and the media. We are holding those individuals here who should be held based on the fact that they are enemy combatants, and they continue to pose a threat to the United States.”
“We have 300 or so detainees represented by counsel and all of the detainees have been advised of their right to representation by counsel upon request. Per the Detainee Treatment Act, detainees have also been advised that they can challenge their enemy combatant status during a review tribunal.”
In an NPR interview McCarthy responded to allegations by Clive Stafford Smith, the executive Director of the human rights organization Reprieve.[1] He stated captives were not held longer than necessary, and once released, they were repatriated to or released in countries where their safety would not be at risk.
McCarthy stated when asked about abuse of captives:[1]
“These depictions of ham-fisted attempts to get detainees to speak are simply not a part of any type of contemporary reality.”
References
- ^ a b c d Spc. Shanita Simmons (2007-10-31). "JTF head attorney sets record straight on detainee abuse allegations". JTF-GTMO. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- ^ Daniel Jones (Winter 2007). "IA: Life at Guantanamo Bay" (PDF). Jag Mag. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
CAPT Patrick McCarthy has been leading our team since May 2006 and will continue to do so until next summer.