Morris Davis
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Col. Morris Davis is a United States Air Force military officer and lawyer, appointed to serve as the chief prosecutor in the Guantanamo military commissions.[1] Davis is in charge of the prosecution team for Omar Khadr.
A National Post article published January 10, 2006 contained extensive quotes from Davis's arguments before the commission, including at one in which Davis said: "Thanks to the American medics who stepped over their dead friend and tended to Mr. Khadr, he's alive today,"[2]
SFC Christopher Speer, a Special Forces medic, was fatally wounded along with two coalition forces, and multiple U.S. forces were wounded and evacuated as a result of the firefight (U.S. v Omar Khadr, Nov 2005). Though medics did not specifically step over Speer's body to tend to Khadr's wounds, two other dead coalition forces were on the ground as Khadr was receiving treatment and evacuation. SFC Speer was also evacuated from the scene and died in a hospital ten days after the firefight.
Davis also asserted that Sergeant Layne Morris was wounded by the same grenade that mortally wounded Speer. But at least one detailed newspaper account described Morris being wounded prior to the aerial bombardment, four hours prior to Speer's wounding.[3]
Khadr's attorney, Muneer Ahmad of American University, accused Colonel Davis of ethical misconduct for referring to Khadr as a terrorist and a murderer during the January 10 press conference. Ahmad asked the presiding officer to sanction Colonel Davis for the comments, but the presiding officer found the comments were fair and balanced given repeated negative out of court statements Ahmad made for months prior to the hearing. When asked why the prosecution had finally broken its silence, Davis said: "For a number of months we've sat on the sidelines. We've just kind of taken it. There comes a time when you don't take it anymore."[4] On February 28, 2006 Davis spoke out again regarding the commissions, saying: "Remember if you dragged Dracula out into the sunlight he melted? Well, that's kind of the way it is trying to drag a detainee into the courtroom.[5]
COL Davis has also challenged military counsel for Australian detainee David Hicks by threatenening prosecution of MAJ Mori, USMC, Hicks' detailed lawyer for violation of the Uniform Military Code of Justice. MAJ Mori responded "Are they trying to intimidate me?"[6]
