Guantanamo detainee asks court to block medical procedure News
Guantanamo detainee asks court to block medical procedure

[JURIST] Lawyers for Saifullah Paracha [advocacy website; Wikipedia profile], a multimillionaire from Pakistan in US custody at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive], petitioned a federal court Wednesday to enjoin the US military from performing a cardiac catheterization [AHA backgrounder] because the facility there lacks sufficient medical equipment and the backup to ensure his health if something goes wrong. Paracha, who suffered a heart attack while in US custody in Afghanistan, claims the complex procedure will endanger his life, and his lawyer argued that he should be transferred to a medical facility in the US or Pakistan. US Navy officials, however, have asserted that Guantanamo facilities and doctors are adequately prepared to handle the procedure and noted that special equipment and practitioners can be brought in if needed.

US authorities captured Paracha in 2003 on his way to Thailand, where he was detained until October 2004 when he was moved to Guantanamo. AP has more.