The Rights of Jose Padilla Story aired: Monday, June 30, 2003
On the 8th of May last year, an ex-convict from Chicago, an American citizen named Jose Padilla, was taken into federal custody for questioning. The Justice Department applied to have Padilla testify before a grand jury. After a week, the courts assigned him a lawyer.
Three weeks after that, without warning, President George W. Bush declared that Jose Padilla was an enemy combatant. At a news conference in Moscow, Attorney General John Ashcroft alleged that Padilla was involved with Al Qaeda in planning to detonate a so-called "dirty" bomb.
Padilla was transferred to a military prison in Charleston, South Carolina. More than a year later, he's still there. A federal judge has ruled that Padilla should be able to challenge his detention as an enemy combatant, but the government has appealed. In the meantime, Padilla remains in solitary confinement.
As part of a week-long series on civil liberties in America, we are joined Andrew Patel, one of the lawyers representing Jose Padilla.
Guests:
Andrew Patel, one of the lawyers representing Jose Padilla.
