Military Commissions Media Invitation Announced

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Military Commissions Media Invitation Announced

United States v. Abd al-Rahim Hussein Muhammed Abdu Al-Nashiri

The Department of Defense and the Office of Military Commissions announced today that commissions proceedings in the case of United States v. Abd al-Rahim Hussein Muhammed Abdu Al-Nashiri are scheduled for April 15-18. Seats will be allocated for news media aboard military chartered aircraft for travel from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on April 14. Return travel is planned for April 19.

Due to a limited number of seats aboard the flight and limited accommodations at Guantanamo Bay, selection is not guaranteed. However, there will be an additional opportunity for media members to view the proceedings by closed circuit television (CCTV) from a media work center at Fort George G. Meade, Md., on April 15-18.

United States v. Khalid Shaikh Mohammad et. al.

In a second proceeding, the Department of Defense and the Office of Military Commissions will allocate seats for news media aboard military chartered aircraft for travel from Andrews Air Force Base to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on April 21 to cover military commission proceedings scheduled for April 22-26 in the case of United States v. Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin 'Attash, Ramzi Binalshibh, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi. Return travel is planned for April 27.

As with the first proceeding, there will be an additional opportunity for media members to view United States v. Khalid Shaikh Mohammad et. al., by closed circuit television (CCTV) from a media work center at Fort George G. Meade, Md., on April 22-26.

Media desiring to view either or both of these hearings should send their requests via email to GTMO.Press@osd.mil. All requests must be received by 5 p.m. EDT on March 29. Media members should submit their names, positions, sponsoring organization and contact information to the above email address. Multiple names from the same organization may be listed. Requesters should indicate each individual's desire to be considered for travel to Guantanamo or Fort George G. Meade or both.

Media who request and are selected to cover both the April 15-18 United States v. Abd al-Rahim Hussein Muhammed Abdu Al-Nashiri proceedings and the April 22-26 United States v. Khalid Shaikh Mohammad et. al. hearings will be permitted to remain at Guantanamo during the break between proceedings.

If the number of media requests received exceeds the number of available media spaces at either Guantanamo Bay or Fort Meade, selections will be made based on the following criteria and categories:

Media outlets that consistently reach a large audience;
Media outlets that have a history of reporting on the Department of Defense, Guantanamo Bay, military commissions, or closely related topics;
Outlets that represent a mix of mediums;
Outlets that include both domestic and international news media; and
Media that represent regional markets with a specific nexus to these commission proceedings.
Applicant media organizations are welcome to provide documentation and examples demonstrating how they meet one or more of the above criteria and categories. Media selected to travel to Guantanamo or to attend the CCTV broadcast in the United States will be sent a selection confirmation by email after the closing date of March 29, along with instructions on travel.

Further information including the media ground rules can be viewed at the Office of Military Commissions website at http://www.mc.mil .






U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)

On the Web: http://www.defense.gov/Advisories/
Media Contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132
Public Contact: http://www.defense.gov/landing/questions.aspx or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1