David Cynamon
September 26, 2008
by Christine Yeres
Out of the blue, back in May 2006, an attorney in Kuwait phoned Washington, D.C. attorney David Cynamon asking whether he would consider representing group of Kuwaitis whose relatives had been detained in the U.S. military base in Guantanamo, Cuba. He answered yes. “I thought it sounded fascinating and I was off and running,” said Cynamon.
It has proved fascinating, but frustrating, too, as Cynamon will explain in his talk, “with some gallows humor, and a lot to cry about” at the First Congregational Church this Sunday, September 27 at 4:00 p.m.
Cynamon visits Guantanamo every four to five weeks. From Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, he takes two commuter flights, “those puddle jumpers that fly around the Caribbean. If you’re 6 foot 4 like I am, it’s not a lot of fun.” Each visit takes a full work week. The logistics are such that days one and five are taken up entirely with travel. That leaves the three days in between to conduct urgent business.
“I have two purposes: to speak with clients to get information to prepare for their habeas [corpus] hearings; but, more important, for morale. I’m their only contact with the outside world.” Under U.S. law, a writ of habeas corpus is used to direct judicial inquiry into the legality of a detention and remedy violations of personal liberty by the government.
Some of Cynamon’s clients have been imprisoned without trial at Guantanamo for seven years, basically locked away in another world. “Phoning is not allowed, though we’re trying to change that. Letters can be sent but it takes forever. They have to be reviewed first, sometimes they come a month late, or they might never be given to the prisoner at all. Even when I visit, I can’t tell them about their families or anything else.”
His clients are, not surprisingly, disheartened by the U.S. legal system. “When I speak with them in Guantanamo, they say, ‘Don’t talk to us about the court system; it’s a sham, we’re still here after seven years.’ And it’s hard to argue with them,” admitted Cynamon. “But it’s so important to reestablish the rule of law. The court cases are accomplishing that very slowly. But as of yet, none has resulted in any release.”
Cynamon’s next trip to Guantanamo is scheduled for October 13. He made no visit this month. His clients preferred to have proper time for calm and reflection during the September Ramadan.
David J. Cynamon is a Washington-based partner and senior litigator at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP with 30 years of litigation and trial experience. He is the first speaker in a series of discussions through fall and spring at the First Congregational Church called “A Community in Conversation.” His talk, “Exploring the Legal and Human Aspects of Guantanamo,” is at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 27, at the First Congregational Church of Chappaqua, 210 Orchard Ridge Road, at Route 117. Please plan to stay for lively discussion and light refreshments afterwards.
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