Guantanamo Bay teach-in broadcast at USC Law

Submitted by Martín Gauto '06 On Thursday, October 5th, USC Law took part in a nationally broadcast teach-in put on by the National Guantánamo Teach-In Steering Committee. Broadcast live from Seton Hall Law School, the teach-in featured a number of speakers, including many of the attorneys currently representing Guantánamo Bay detainees. There were several panels covering numerous important topics, from the media’s coverage of and access to detainees, to an in-depth analysis of the U.S.’s current detention policy and its consequences for U.S. policies abroad. Students came and went throughout the day, as the broadcast ran from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day’s events served to educate those who attended about the ongoing debate regarding the treatment of detainees in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and other places around the world. Many have been held for up to four years without a formal hearing and with almost no access to legal representation. The Bush Administration’s policy on interrogations has been controversial as well.  While many argue it allows for the torture of detainees, the Bush administration insists that detainees are treated humanely. Both houses of Congress have recently passed legislation which will likely be signed into law by President Bush that would grant defendants more legal rights than they had under the administration's old system, but would nevertheless eliminate rights usually granted in civilian and military courts. The teach-in was followed by a USC Law panel in Room 7 titled “The Legal, Medical and Psychosocial Implications of State-Sponsored Torture. The panel of experts was moderated by Professor Niels Frenzen and included Megan Berthold and Michael Nutkiewicz of the Program for Torture Victims as well USC Law Adjunct Professor Seth Stodder, senior counsel at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, and Hector Aristizabal, a native of Columbia who suffered torture at the hands of the Columbian government before coming to the United States. The panel was well-attended and a lively Q & A session followed the panelists’ speeches. The successful day ended with small reception where students and members of the public were able to speak with each other and the panelists in more detail. For more information on the panel, click here.