International Visitors
Developing nations, especially ones with emerging or fledgling democracies, look to America to study its institutions, laws and the ingenious balance of powers created by our Founding Fathers. Through various programs sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), delegates from these nations visit the United States and are put into contact with organizations like Judicial Watch. Since 2001, Judicial Watch has been a major participant in the Department of State’s IVLP and other leadership exchange programs, having received over 83 visiting delegations. As the premier Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigator in America today, Judicial Watch is one of the most sought after transparency and accountability organizations for personal meetings with emerging leaders from around the world who are interested in learning how they can stop corruption and demand accountability from their judges, government officials, and political parties.
The United Nations Department of Global Communications
The United Nations Department of Global Communications hosts monthly briefings and other workshops and an annual conference where representatives of NGOs from every corner of the world come together for the purpose of networking and collaborating on solutions to some of the world’s most challenging problems, from security issues such as crime and violence, hunger and disease, persecution and war, to major development issues of education, job opportunities, and women’s empowerment.
Judicial Watch is associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications (UN DGC) as a nongovernmental organization whose mission is to promote transparency, accountability and integrity in government, politics and the law. It fulfills its educational mission through litigation, investigations, and public outreach. Its International Program serves as an integral part of its educational program.
Judicial Watch GTMO Observer Program
Judicial Watch was granted observer status by the Pentagon to observe the arraignment of Khalid Sheikh Mohammad at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in June of 2008. Since the recommencement of the 9/11 hearings at Guantanamo Bay in November 2011, JW has attended 95 percent of the hearings held at the detention facility, as well as Periodic Review Board Proceedings (PRBs) currently held at the Pentagon. Judicial Watch staff and representatives have attended and monitored over 256 hearings to date.
See ARCHIVE section HERE.
Hearing Summaries
Military Commissions:
ISN 10019
Encep “Hambali” Nurjaman
Pre-Trial Hearings Week of June 23-27, 2025
Events:
The defense team and other personnel were predicting that the June 23-27 pretrial hearing week for ISN l0019 Encep “Hambali” Nurjaman (Nurjaman) would be canceled or only run through the morning of the first day. Instead, a mixture of open and closed sessions resulted in a full week of pretrial hearings. The first day was observed at Ft. George G. Meade by representatives of the EFE Spanish newswire service and Judicial Watch. However, only Judicial Watch’s representative was present for the remainder of the week’s sessions. Proceedings were held in the Remote Hearing Room (RHR) on island with members of the trial (government) and defense teams and began with the usual review, including Nurjaman’s awareness and authorization of the presence or absence of defense personnel attending from the RHR.
The judge then diverged from his normal routine having just learned about the absence of defense team member James Hodes, who had not given notice of his expected absence until the end of May. Hodes had been slated on the docket since late 2024 to not only defend Nurjaman in this hearing but to provide witness testimony. The judge expressed puzzlement and a degree of irritation that counsel had not complied with his docket order. The government trial counsel and defense counsel gave oral explanations that indicated Hodes’ lack of attendance stemmed from a budgetary problem. The government held that since Hodes was a member of the defense team, it fell to the defense team to work through the Military Commissions Defense Office (MCDO) to obtain travel funding and vouchers to get Hodes to GTMO or the RHR. The defense held that since Hodes would be functioning as a witness, it was the government’s responsibility to pay for and provide all transportation to Hodes. The two teams had been unable to agree on any precedents or the authority of competing procedural documents in the matter and placed it before the judge for a determination.
The judge examined the documents overnight and made a non-precedential ruling on the second day indicating the government was to arrange Hodes’ transportation for the week and have him in place to testify on Thursday. Hodes’ testimony was scheduled for a closed session out of an abundance of caution. The defense team requested the judge’s authorization for Nurjaman’s attendance at the closed session, but the judge denied it on the basis that he did not have the legal authority to permit it. On Wednesday, the defense team informed the judge that Hodes would not be able to attend and give testimony on Thursday because he was the only available caretaker for a family dog which was undergoing surgery. Hodes’ testimony was immediately rescheduled for the September pretrial hearings, and the judge advised the government it was responsible to pay his transportation costs. Oral arguments followed the Hodes discussion for other procedural problems and AEs.
See ARCHIVE for witness testimony and full summary.
In the Media
The Hill published the following article by Thomas Wheatley, a participant in Judicial Watch’s GTMO Observer Program.
“Trump, honor Obama’s agreement to release Guantanamo detainee,”
The Hill, October 4, 2017About Thomas Wheatley, https://www2.gmu.edu/news/424386
International Visitors and United Nations DGC Briefing
- 2018
- 2017
- Summary of UN Event: The Trade in Minors in the Digital Age – September 28, 2017
- 2016
- Countries represented by international visitors to Judicial Watch in 2016:
Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Albania, Czech Republic, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Macedonia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Congo, The Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Swaziland, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Togo, Finland, Georgia, Guatemala, India, Ireland, Kuwait, Lesotho, Nepal, Netherlands, Philippines, Vietnam, and South Sudan
- United Nation’s Commemoration of the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons – September
- Observance of the International Day Against Nuclear Tests – August
- Summary of Meeting with North Africa and the Near East Delegation – February
- 2015
- Wrap up for 2015
- Countries represented by international visitors to Judicial Watch in 2015:
Macedonia, Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH),Bulgaria, France, Georgia, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, Algeria Brunei, Croatia, Egypt, Hungary, India, Lithuania, Malawi, Nepal, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, and Venezuela
- Summary of Meeting with Macedonian Delegation – July
- UNESCO Event Summary SREBRENICA – July
- 2014
- Wrap up for 2014
- Countries represented by international visitors to Judicial Watch in 2014:
China, Argentina, Columbia, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, Argentina, Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Italy, Republic of Kosovo, Moldova, Netherlands, Serbia, , Kenya, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Honduras
- Western Hemisphere – September
- 65th UN DPI/NGO Conference – August
- 2013
- 2012
- 2011
- 2010
- Croatia
- India and Bhutan
- UN-DPI, Washington, DC – “Rediscovering Preventive Diplomacy for Peace in the World’s Hotspots: A View from the United Nations”
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Vietnam
- French Counterterrorism Officials
- 2009
- 2008
- Thailand
- Multi-Regional Delegation – The US Judicial System – Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burma, Timor-Leste, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Nigeria, Malawi, Pakistan, Portugal, Romania, People’s Republic of China, South Africa
- France
- 11 Latin American Countries – Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela
- 2007
- 2006
- Croatia – Law Enforcement and the Judiciary
- Tanzania
- France- French Ministry of Justice
- The Multi-Regional Project
- Italy
- Ukraine
- France
- Kyrgyzstan
- Cambodia
- Croatia
- Fulbright Fellows
- The Sun Shines in Over 60 Countries Worldwide
- 2005
- 2004
- Latvia
- West Africa delegation
- Czech Republic
- Ghana
- 2003
- Brazil
- Russia
- Republic of China
- 2002
- Japan
- Turkey
- 2001
- Moldova
