Al-Darbi Arraignment Hearing

Lawfare returns to Fort Meade's storied CCTV outpost, this time for arraignment in the Guantanamo military commission case of United States v. Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed Haza al Darbi.  Along with the usual arraignment procedures, the gathered press expect announcement of a plea deal, whereby Mr. Al-Darbi, a Saudi, would receive a reduced sentence in exchange for assisting prosecutors with the ongoing prosecution of another detainee, Abd Al-Rahim Al-Nashiri.

So: different military commission case, same coverage format as always.  We'll take in the proceedings as they are broadcasted in almost real time from a Guantanamo courtroom, post updates in our Events Coverage section, and link to the updates here.

Al-Darbi Arraignment Hearing #1: A Guilty Plea 

Al-Darbi Arraignment Hearing #2: Nuts and Bolts

Al-Darbi Arraignment Hearing #: About the Deal

Update: in a post-hearing statement (h/t Miami Herald), the Chief Prosecutor says that Al-Darbi has pledged to cooperate, and that his conviction means that Al-Darbi will "likely spend between 9 and 15 additional years in confinement" (emphasis mine). Additionally, according to Martins, following sentencing "it is possible Mr. al Darbi will be repatriated to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to serve the remainder of his sentence to confinement in a Saudi Arabian prison."