Muslim chaplain wins freedom

2004-03-20 08:21

Miami - Citing national security concerns, the US army dropped all charges against a Muslim chaplain accused of mishandling classified documents at the US navy base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where suspected terrorists are held.

Capt James Yee will be allowed to return to his previous duty station at Fort Lewis, near Tacoma, Washington, the US Southern Command, which oversees the detention centre in Cuba, said Friday.

"Chaplain Yee has won," his attorney, Eugene Fidell of Washington, said in a statement late on Friday. "The army's dismissal of the classified information charges against him represents a long overdue vindication."

In dismissing the charges, Maj Gen Geoffrey D Miller, commander of Joint Task Force Guantanamo, which operates the detention centre, cited "national security concerns that would arise from the release of the evidence" if the case proceeded.

"In the grand scheme of things, and in the interest of national security, Gen Miller felt like the charges needed to be dropped," said Lt Col Bill Costello, a Southcom spokesperson. "It seemed to be the prudent way to proceed."

76 days in custody

Yee spent 76 days in custody after the military initially linked him to a possible espionage ring at the base in Cuba. But the government failed to build a capital espionage case against him. Prosecutors have not disclosed much about their case.

Some Asian-American activists and Yee supporters have accused the government of racial and religious profiling in Yee's case.

The army charged Yee last September with mishandling classified material, failing to obey an order, making a false official statement, adultery and conduct unbecoming an officer for allegedly downloading pornography on his government laptop.

Fidell rejected the notion that security concerns played a role in the dismissal of charges. He said Yee, who was in the Washington, DC-area on Friday, was entitled to an apology.

- AP