JAG CENTRAL

From the NY Times: Rights Group Reports Thousands of Disappearances in Chechnya ("A prominent human rights organization said in a report released Monday that kidnappings and extrajudicial detentions had become so rampant in Chechnya that they amounted to crimes against humanity. Human Rights Watch, based in New York, reported that an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 civilians from the region had disappeared since Russia's second war in Chechnya began in 1999, and it linked a majority of the cases to Russian or Chechen security forces."); More of FBI Memo Criticizing Guantanamo Methods Is Released ("The Justice Department on Monday released an F.B.I. memorandum dated May 10, 2004, in which departmental lawyers dismissed intelligence obtained by coercive methods used by the military at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, as "suspect at best." The existence of the memorandum has been known for months. But when it was first made public by the government, the memorandum was released in heavily edited form, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by the American Civil Liberties Union.").

From the Washington Post: Justice Redacted Memo on Detainees, FBI Criticism of Interrogations Was Deleted ("U.S. law enforcement agents working at the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, concluded that controversial interrogation practices used there by the Defense Department produced intelligence information that was "suspect at best," an FBI agent told a superior in a memo in May last year. But the Justice Department, which reviewed the memo for national security secrets before releasing it to a civil liberties group in December, redacted the FBI agent's conclusion."); High Court Declines To Hear (Moussaoui) Terror Case, and this must-read fascinating story of the judge who presided over Saddam Hussein's first court appearance:

When the disgraced but unrepentant old man sat down in front of Raid Juhi last summer, the young judge did not know what to expect. Like most Iraqis, he knew Iraq's former leader only from television, where he always appeared a brave, confident and much-feared hero.

Now, Saddam Hussein was making his first appearance as a defendant before the Iraqi special tribunal that will judge officials of Iraq's toppled government for crimes against humanity. Petulant and defiant, the haggard leader claimed immunity from any prosecution, ranted on about the court's illegality and refused to sign an acknowledgment that he had been read his rights.

Juhi, who let Hussein vent before cutting him off, recalled feeling two strong forces during that 26-minute session. One was wonder at how the tables had turned. The other was duty.

"I had worked as a judge under Saddam. I never thought I would be in a position questioning him," Juhi, 34, said in a recent interview. "At the same time, our studies and careers taught us how to be objective in our work and to not consider names or ranks but to look at the evidence only. We have a saying in the judiciary system: The evidence talks."

Juhi is the only tribunal judge publicly identified so far because of threats from insurgents, many of whom supported Hussein's government. Though the former leader's trial is not imminent -- Juhi said there is no way to know how long pretrial investigations will take -- one judge on the tribunal has already been assassinated.

"It's not bravery," the Baghdad-born judge said of his decision to allow his name to be made public. "It is important for the Iraqis to know that Iraqis are handling the case and that the judicial system is taking up its role."

From USA Today: Moussaoui Loses Bid To Question Captives.