The American government has refused a request by Mohamed Harkat’s lawyer to interview Abu Zubaydah, a Guantanamo prisoner alleged to be a ranking member of al-Qaeda, whose allegations about Harkat have played a role in Harkat’s precarious position. He is currently in virtual house arrest under strict bail conditions and threatened with deportation to Algeria, where he might well face severe treatment as an opponent of the régime.

A Defense Department spokesman told his lawyer that “Any access to Abu Zubayadah would pose unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States and could cause irreparable harm to the ongoing efforts in the war on terrorism.” Left unclear is how a lawyer’s interrogation of someone who is held in Guantanamo could possibly have such consequences. Perhaps a further explanation is due.