Justices ponder rights of Guantanamo detainee

WASHINGTON » The Supreme Court on Wednesday seemed skeptical of requiring the U.S. government to divulge what it says is secret information being sought by a Guantanamo Bay detainee. But in a surprising turn, several justices also raised questions about the rights of the man, who was tortured by the CIA abroad and has been detained for nearly two decades.

The case involves Abu Zubaydah, who was thought to be a high-ranking member of al-Qaida when he was captured in Pakistan in 2002. He and his lawyer want to question two former CIA contractors about his detention at a secret CIA facility in Poland where they say he was tortured. The information would be used as part of an ongoing investigation in Poland.

The fact that many details of Zubaydah’s treatment at the hands of the CIA are public led some justices to question why he shouldn’t get access to at least some testimony from the former CIA contractors.