Pauline Storum

Pauline Storum is an officer in the United States Navy, who has specialized in Public Affairs.[1]

In the Spring of 2008 Storum was rotated to be the deputy commander of Joint Task Force Guantanamo's Public Affairs Office.

Ibrahim Al Qosi's call home

Notably, on May 22, 2008 Storum told the Press that the Guantanamo camp authorities had already complied with a ruling from earlier that day, from the Presiding Officer of Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi's Military Commission, that provision be made for him to phone home.[2][3]

Storum's claim triggered controversy.[4][5] Commander Suzanne Lachelier, Ibrahim Al Qosi's appointed military lawyer, expressed surprise at learning from newspaper reports that the arrangements for the call had been made, and completed, without any participation from her. Normally calls between captives and their family are made with the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross, who meet with the captive's family first, to make sure access to a telephone can be arranged, and to pre-schedule the call for a time when the family can be available.

On May 23, 2008 Storum sent an apology by e-mail to reporters to retract her claim the phone call had been completed.[4][5]

I misspoke when I confirmed that al Qosi's call was complete. In clarifying the current status of the detainee phone program, I misunderstood the information I was given, and inaccurately conveyed that al Qosi's call was completed.
I apologize for the error.

Carol Rosenberg, of the Miami Herald commented on Storum's initial announcement[4]:

The original statement Thursday struck some observers as extraordinary -- for both its speed and the coordination between the separate bureaucracies of the prison camp and the war court.

References

  1. ^ "JFHQ-NCR hits books for interagency exercise". 2005-11-01. http://www.mdw.army.mil/content/anmviewer.asp?a=1538&z=1. Retrieved 2008-08-08. "Navy Lt. Commander Pauline Storum led a session on joint public affairs in which she laid out PA fundamentals, explained PA planning considerations, and discussed operational joint public affairs, strategic communication, and the media/military relationship."  mirror
  2. ^ Carol Rosenberg (May 22, 2008). "Terror suspect phones Sudan to hire own lawyer". Miami Herald. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking_news/story/543147.html. Retrieved 2008-05-25. "Within hours of a judge's order, an accused al Qaeda conspirator from Sudan got a call from home Thursday to consult with his family on how they might hire him a lawyer, at their own expense."  mirror
  3. ^ "Guantanamo judge orders military to allow detainee phone call home to Sudan". International Herald Tribune. May 22, 2008. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/05/22/news/Guantanamo-Military-Tribunal.php. Retrieved 2008-05-25. 
  4. ^ a b c Carol Rosenberg (May 24, 2008). "Guantánamo: Detainee didn't get call from home". Miami Herald. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking_dade/story/545741.html. Retrieved 2008-05-25. "A military spokesman erred last week by telling journalists that an alleged al Qaeda conspirator at Guantánamo received a Red Cross-assisted telephone call from home."  mirror
  5. ^ a b Jane Sutton (May 24, 2008). "Guantanamo phone report was in error, U.S. says". Reuters. http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnNASU52401.html. Retrieved 2008-05-25.  mirror