Matthew Diaz

rdf:langString Matthew Diaz

rdf:langString Matthew Diaz

rdf:langString Matthew Diaz

rdf:langString leaked the names of Guantanamo captives prior to their official publication

rdf:langString American

rdf:langString lawyer

rdf:langString Matthew Mark Diaz is a former active-duty Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) and Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAGC) officer in the United States Navy. In mid-to-late 2004, Diaz served a six-month tour of duty in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as deputy director of the detention center's legal office. Early in 2005 as LCDR Diaz was concluding his tour, he sent an anonymous greeting card to The Center for Constitutional Rights, a New York civil liberties and human rights group. The card contained the names of the detainees held at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. In July 2006, the United States government formally charged Diaz in a military court with five criminal counts related to the sending of these names, the most serious being that he intended to harm national security or advantage a foreign nation, a violation of the Espionage Act. In May 2007, he was convicted by a seven-member jury of military officers on 4 of 5 counts. He served a 6-month prison sentence and was dismissed from the military. In April 2008, he was awarded the Ridenhour Prize for Truth Telling. Diaz is currently employed with The Bronx Defenders as an intake coordinator.