A Guantanamo Bay prisoner charged in the September 11 attacks was ejected from court twice for a second straight day for refusing a judge's order to stop speaking out to complain about prison conditions.
A military judge ordered Ramzi Binalshibh removed in the morning session and again in the afternoon yesterday, replaying a scene from a day earlier in which the defendant kept trying to complain about his treatment inside Camp 7, the top-secret section of the US base in Cuba where he and the four other defendants in the September 11 case are held.
"This is torture. You have to stop the sleep deprivation and the noises," Binalshibh said.
Binalshibh says guards intentionally make loud noises and vibrations that keep him awake at night as a form of sleep deprivation, an allegation the military has denied. The judge, Army Col James Pohl, has said his lawyers can file a motion to seek an investigation into the claims but the defendant has no right to disrupt court proceedings.
Binalshibh and his four co-defendants face charges that include murder, hijacking and terrorism for their alleged roles aiding the September 11 terrorist attack. Their treatment during confinement is a recurring theme of the proceedings since they were held by the CIA prior to arriving at Guantanamo in September 2006 and subjected to harsh interrogations that included sleep deprivation.
