Guantanamo judge orders military to allow detainee phone call home to Sudan

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A judge on Thursday ordered the US military to allow an alleged al-Qaida militant to speak by telephone with his family in Sudan to help him prepare for his war-crimes trial at Guantanamo Bay. The detainee, Ibrahim al-Qosi, complained he has not had any outside contact since arriving at the isolated US Navy base in southeast Cuba six-and-a-half years ago. He told the judge he needs to call home so his brother can hire a civilian defense lawyer. "I have no contact with the outside world," said al-Qosi, who was dressed in a white tunic and a skull cap. Al-Qosi was granted the call later Thursday and he spoke for about an hour, said Navy Cmdr. Pauline Storum, a spokeswoman for the detention center. She said the military arranged the call with the International Committee of the Red Cross but did not provide further details.