There is no excuse or justification for this:

[spindrifter]

NPR did the following piece today: Tapes Provide First Glimpse of Secret Gitmo Panels by Jackie Northam.

The tapes, as the piece says are scratchy and practically inaudible. What makes it even worse, is that the detainees are speaking through "translators."

<snip>

The recordings, made by the U.S. military, are of tribunals held in the fall of 2004 to review the "enemy combatant" status of six detainees who were arrested in Bosnia in late 2001. Lawyers for the men obtained the tapes under the Freedom of Information Act and provided NPR with copies of the recordings.

<snip>

The audio recordings of the Combatant Status Review Tribunals are scratchy, of poor quality and don't pick up much of what's happening in the small room: You can't sense facial expressions or body language, or that the detainee's arms and legs are shackled.

<snip>

Lawyers at Seton Hall University recently evaluated the records and transcripts for nearly 400 similar military hearings at Guantanamo. In most cases, they found, the government did not produce any witnesses at the tribunals, and detainees were only allowed to use other detainees at witnesses.

<more>

++++++++++++

With such a poor record as the tapes provide, it will be difficult, indeed, to review the proceedings. There is simply no valid reason the U.S. government should be doing this. These hearings, ridiculous as they are, should be videotaped with clear audio for review.