Military Judge Weighs Restrictions On Gitmo Female Guards
FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) -- A military judge is deciding whether to continue restricting the use of female guards at Guantanamo.
Navy Capt. J. Kirk Waits heard closing arguments Thursday at the base in Cuba during a pretrial hearing for Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi. Waits didn't say when he will rule.
Hadi says his Muslim faith makes it a sin for him to touch a woman who is not his wife or close relative. Waits issued an interim order in November barring female soldiers from touching Hadi to escort him to hearings and attorney-client meetings.
Prosecutors say the order has weakened the ability of prison managers to run the facility safely and in accordance with gender-neutral policies.
The Associated Press covered the hearing from a video feed at Fort Meade, near Baltimore.
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