In some respects, the first, long-awaited trial of a Guantanamo prisoner looks normal: it came up with verdicts - not guilty on charges of conspiracy to murder; guilty on the vaguer charge of providing support for terrorism. And it came up with a sentence: 66 months, with remission for time served.
In other respects, it did not look so normal. Both the verdict and the sentence were decided by the jury - the sentence was not separately decided by a judge. And then there's the question of what happens after the prisoner has served the remaining five months of his sentence. According to today's BBC story,
'On time served Hamdan could be released in five months but the Pentagon has said he will still be retained as an "enemy combatant".'
The prosecution had apparently pressed for a sentence of not less than 30 years' imprisonment. The actual sentence is less than that to a degree which leaves it open to interpretation as a deliberate rebuff to the Bush administration. However, that gesture by the jury may end up looking hollow if Salim Hamdan completes his sentence and is still not released.
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