Colonel Donnie Thomas was the commander of Joint Task Force Guantanamo's Joint Detention Group from February 2010 to June 2012.[1][2]
Donnie Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Military Police Officer |
| Known for | Acknowledged he was aware Guantanamo meeting rooms were equipped to monitor detainees and their lawyers |
In December 2011 the public learned about Camp Five Echo, a previously secret camp, for non-compliant detainees were kept in isolation.[3] According to Thomas the conditions at the camp met the minimum standards, so they weren't inhumane.
In June 2012 Michael Isikoff, of NBC News, interviewed Thomas about recently announced improvements to the detainees' conditions of detention.[4]
In March 2013 it became known that the interview rooms where attorneys met with Guantanamo clients were fitted with listening devices. Thomas's successor, John Bogdan, testified that he was not aware the rooms were bugged, while Thomas testified he was aware.[5] Colonel Thomas Welsh, Joint Task Force Guantanamo's Legal Advisor, described asking Thomas for an explanation when he observed a law enforcement agent monitoring a meeting between other law enforcement officials, prosecutors, defense attorneys and a detainee-client at Camp Echo II.[6]
References edit
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Charley Keyes (2011-09-05). "Debate over Gitmo remains highly charged as 9/11 anniversary nears". CNN. Archived from the original on 2013-09-13.
On 9/11 hopefully it will be a calm day like it was last year," said Col. Donnie Thomas, who has been at Guantanamo for 19 months and serves as commander of the Joint Detention Group. "Inside the camps it was relatively calm and quiet," Thomas said about possible protests. "It didn't happen last year; we don't see it happening this year.
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Lewis Hilburn (2012-06-02). "Warrior Six Signing Off". JTF Guantanamo Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 2016-04-17.
"(Thomas) has done a lot of great things here," Woods said, describing him as his "go-to guy" when the admiral assumed command of the JTF nearly one year ago.
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Ben Fox (2011-12-10). "US defends 'Five Echo' discipline block at Gitmo". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2012-02-04.
Thomas declined to disclose the criteria for the use of Five Echo. He said it was empty Thursday, the day of the phone interview, but added that he could resume using it at any time at his discretion. He declined to say when it last held detainees.
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Michael Isikoff (2012-06-07). "Soccer, cable TV at Gitmo? US lockup in Cuba quietly being upgraded". NBC News. Archived from the original on 2013-05-01.
Among the recent improvements to the facility commonly known as "Gitmo": a heavily guarded soccer field for detainees known as "Super Rec," which cost nearly $750,000 and opened this week; cable television in a communal living quarters and "enriching your life" classes for detainees, which include instruction on learning to paint, writing a resume -- even handling personal finances. "Well, that's one class, but it's not a popular (one)," Army Col. Donnie Thomas, commander of the military guards at camp, said with a laugh. "But it's a class. It's just to keep these guys busy."
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Carol Rosenberg (2013-02-12). "Attorney-client meeting room was bugged, Navy lawyer testifies at Guantánamo". Guantanamo: Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 2013-03-02.
Welsh is a career Navy attorney bound by the same ethics practices as civilian lawyers. He said he was so struck by the discovery of the capability eight months into his job as prison camps lawyer that he sought out the chief of the guard force, Army Col. Donnie Thomas, to gain assurances that nobody at Guantánamo was turning on the microphones to listen in on privileged attorney-client meetings.
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Paul D. Shinkman (2013-02-13). "Intelligence Agents Could Monitor Gitmo Detainee, Lawyer Meeting Rooms, Official Says: Guantanamo lawyers worry monitors could have violated U.S. law, endangered terror prosecutions". Guantanamo: US News. Archived from the original on 2013-03-17.
After witnessing the agent monitoring a meeting—unrelated to this week's hearings—in a control room, Welsh confronted the Joint Detention Group commander, Army Col. Donnie Thomas, who said "Don't worry, we do not monitor any attorney-client meetings," Welsh recounted.