Ex-Prosecutor Criticizes Guantanamo Trials

A former federal prosecutor from New York is criticizing the military tribunals set up for detainees at Guantanamo Bay after spending a week at the prison as a human rights observer.

Anthony Barkow is the only observer who also successfully prosecuted terrorist sympathizers in his former life as an assistant U.S. attorney. He said the tribunals lack transparency and that defendants were unable to understand the proceedings.

Barkow left his job as a prosecutor after arguing the appeal of three defendants convicted of letting an Egyptian sheik communicate with his followers from a U.S. prison cell.

Now the 39-year-old is executive director of a New York think-tank dedicated to the promotion of good government practices in criminal matters.

The former terrorism prosecutor was an observer for the group Human Rights First.