Thomas Wilner
Encyclopedia
Thomas B. Wilner is the managing partner of Shearman & Sterling
's International Trade and Global Relations Practice. Wilner has also represented the high-profile human rights
cases of a dozen Kuwait
i citizens detained in the United States
naval base at Guantanamo Bay
, Cuba
.
Wilner earned his law degree in 1969 from the University of Pennsylvania Law School
.
Wilner has been admitted to the bar in a number of jurisdictions, including the US Supreme Court in 1975.
by Wilner on January 1, 2008.
He noted:
Wilner reported:
Wilner has also reported that interrogators have warned Guantanamo captives that the Guantanamo attorneys were all Jewish, and they couldn't trust them.
On September 19, 2008 the Washington Post published a letter to the editor from Wilner in reply to a recent editorial on whether the Congress
should pass legislation on how the Justice system should conduct captives' habeas corpus
appeals.
The United States Supreme Court's ruling in Boumediene v. Bush
had overturned Congress's proscription on allowing captives access to the US justice system.
Senators
Lindsey Graham
and Joe Lieberman
had introduced a bill "..to mandate the procedures the courts must follow in the habeas hearings for Guantanamo Bay detainees."
The Washington Post's editorial had applauded the Senator's proposed bill.
Wilner's letter expressed concern that the bill was unnecessary, and could:
Shearman & Sterling
Shearman & Sterling LLP is a law firm headquartered in New York City with 20 offices located in major financial centers around the world founded in 1873. It is well known for both its litigation and transactional capabilities, especially in International Arbitration, Capital Markets, Finance, and...
's International Trade and Global Relations Practice. Wilner has also represented the high-profile human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
cases of a dozen Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
i citizens detained in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
naval base at Guantanamo Bay
Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
The Guantanamo Bay detention camp is a detainment and interrogation facility of the United States located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. The facility was established in 2002 by the Bush Administration to hold detainees from the war in Afghanistan and later Iraq...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
Wilner earned his law degree in 1969 from the University of Pennsylvania Law School
University of Pennsylvania Law School
The University of Pennsylvania Law School, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania. A member of the Ivy League, it is among the oldest and most selective law schools in the nation. It is currently ranked 7th overall by U.S. News & World Report,...
.
Wilner has been admitted to the bar in a number of jurisdictions, including the US Supreme Court in 1975.
Washington Post Op-Ed
The Washington Post published an op-edOp-ed
An op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board...
by Wilner on January 1, 2008.
He noted:
Guantanamo cases
Wilner has been critical of the conditions under which the US holds Guantanamo detainees. In a February 26, 2006 op-ed in the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
Wilner reported:
- It took two and a half years of legal wrangling before he won access to interview his clients.
- None of his clients were "captured on the battlefield".
- None of his clients were accused of engaging in hostilities.
- All of his clients claim they were captured by warlords, and sold to the US forces in return for a bounty.
- All of his clients describe brutal beatings and other abuse while they were held in Afghanistan. Several of them describe brutal beatings after their arrival at Guantanamo.
- Wilner described the brutality of the forcefeeding of the Guantanamo hunger strikers in great detail.
Wilner has also reported that interrogators have warned Guantanamo captives that the Guantanamo attorneys were all Jewish, and they couldn't trust them.
On September 19, 2008 the Washington Post published a letter to the editor from Wilner in reply to a recent editorial on whether the Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
should pass legislation on how the Justice system should conduct captives' habeas corpus
Habeas corpus
is a writ, or legal action, through which a prisoner can be released from unlawful detention. The remedy can be sought by the prisoner or by another person coming to his aid. Habeas corpus originated in the English legal system, but it is now available in many nations...
appeals.
The United States Supreme Court's ruling in Boumediene v. Bush
Boumediene v. Bush
Boumediene v. Bush, 553 U.S. 723 , was a writ of habeas corpus submission made in a civilian court of the United States on behalf of Lakhdar Boumediene, a naturalized citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, held in military detention by the United States at the Guantanamo Bay detention camps in Cuba...
had overturned Congress's proscription on allowing captives access to the US justice system.
Senators
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Olin Graham is the senior U.S. Senator from South Carolina and a member of the Republican Party. Previously he served as the U.S. Representative for .-Early life, education and career:...
and Joe Lieberman
Joe Lieberman
Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman is the senior United States Senator from Connecticut. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was the party's nominee for Vice President in the 2000 election. Currently an independent, he remains closely affiliated with the party.Born in Stamford, Connecticut,...
had introduced a bill "..to mandate the procedures the courts must follow in the habeas hearings for Guantanamo Bay detainees."
The Washington Post's editorial had applauded the Senator's proposed bill.
Wilner's letter expressed concern that the bill was unnecessary, and could:
|