Colby Vokey
{{Short description|American lawyer and US Marine Corps officer}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Colby Vokey
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| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1965}}
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| nationality = American
| other_names =
| occupation = Lawyer
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Colby Vokey (born 1965) is an American lawyer and former officer in the United States Marine Corps. He currently practices criminal defense law in his own private practice. He represents clients in all types of criminal matters, with particular emphasis on cases involving military law. Vokey earned the rank of lieutenant colonel and served as a judge advocate in the United States Marine Corps during 21 years of service to his country. His retirement from the Marine Corps became effective November 1, 2008. During his military career, Vokey earned worldwide praise for his work ethic and integrity, based in part on his work for defendants detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who faced charges stemming from the war in Iraq.
{{cite news
| url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15783244
| title=Respected Marine Lawyer Alleges Military Injustices
| author=Daniel Zwerdling
| author-link=Daniel Zwerdling
| publisher=National Public Radio
| date=October 31, 2007
| access-date=2007-10-31
{{cite news
| url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna12174264
| title=Defense lawyer wants Guantanamo trial halted
| agency=Associated Press
| work=NBC News
| date=April 5, 2006
| access-date=2007-04-05
| url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06352/747086-84.stm
| title=At Guantanamo, even 'easy' cases have lingered
| author=Jess Bravin
| author-link=Jess Bravin
| work=The Wall Street Journal
| date=December 18, 2006
| access-date=2006-12-18
| archive-date=2007-09-29
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929122706/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06352/747086-84.stm
| url-status=dead
}}
Vokey has been the subject of controversy during his efforts to defend Omar Khadr one of the dozen captives held in the Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba who eventually faced charges before a Guantanamo military commission.
{{cite news
| url=https://www.thestar.com/news/2007/04/29/khadr_goes_on_trial.html
| title=Khadr Goes on Trial
| author=Michelle Shephard
| author-link=Michelle Shephard
| work=Toronto Star
| date=April 27, 2007
| access-date=2007-04-27
}}
Gag order and investigation
{{wikisource|Affidavit from Sergeant Heather Cerveny, USMC, October 4, 2006}}
In the fall of 2006 Vokey, and his paralegal Sergeant Heather Cerveny, had a gag order imposed on them after Cerveny filed an affidavit in which she described GIs in Guantanamo's enlisted club bragging about routine abuse of the captives.
Muneer Ahmad, Khadr's civilian lawyer reported that Vokey and Cerveny had been ordered not to comment on conditions at Guantanamo.
[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/14/AR2006101401062.html 2 Ordered Not to Discuss Gitmo Claims], The Washington Post, October 14, 2006
The report quotes a statement released on behalf of Colonel Carol Joyce, the Marines' chief defense counsel, who:
:''... had directed him not to communicate with the media "pending her review of the facts. This is necessary to ensure all actions of counsel are in compliance with regulations establishing professional standards for military attorneys,"
Colonel Richard Basset was the officer assigned to investigate the allegations in Cerveny's affidavit.
[https://www.theguardian.com/worldlatest/story/0,,-6271654,00.html Col. Submits Guantanamo Investigation], The Guardian, December 10, 2006
[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/10/ap/world/mainD8LU6APO1.shtml Col. Submits Guantanamo Investigation: U.S. Army colonel completes, turns in report on Guantanamo abuse investigation]{{dead link|date=August 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, CBS News, December 10, 2006
He returned from his investigation on November 15, 2006.
[http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/11/16/military/14_03_1611_15_06.txt U.S. Army colonel investigating abuse allegations returns from Guantanamo], North Carolina Times, November 16, 2006
He submitted his report on December 10, 2006.
The report was not immediately made public.
{{cite news
| url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/03/news/CB-GEN-Guantanamo-Abuse-Probe.php
| title=Investigator into alleged Guantanamo abuse accuses Marine of false complaint
| work=International Herald Tribune
| date=February 2, 2007
| access-date=2007-10-02
{{cite news
| url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/07/ap/world/mainD8N530V00.shtml
| title=Military: No Gitmo Guard Abuse Evident: U.S. military investigation reports no evidence guards beat Guantanamo detainees
| work=CBS News
| author=Michael Melia
| author-link=Michael Melia
| date=February 7, 2007
| access-date=2007-10-31
}}{{dead link|date=August 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
{{cite news
| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/10/AR2006121000378_pf.html
| title=Col. Submits Guantanamo Investigation
| author=Michael Melia
| author-link=Michael Melia
| date=December 10, 2006
| newspaper=The Washington Post
| access-date=2007-10-02
}}
A thirteen-page heavily redacted summary of the inquiry was eventually made public.
{{cite news
| url = http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/09-F-0049_BassettReport.pdf
| title = Army Regulation (AR) 15-6 Investigation into Alleged Abuse of Detainees at Joint Task Force -- Guantanamo2009-08-04Department of DefenseGuantanamo;abuse
| date = 2007-02-05
| author = Richard Bassett
| publisher = United States Department of Defense
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090725012000/http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/09-F-0049_BassettReport.pdf
| archive-date = 2009-07-25
| access-date = 2009-08-04
| url-status = dead
}}
Within a year, the lieutenant colonel had announced his retirement from the US Marine Corps.[https://web.archive.org/web/20080105111346/http://www.atlargely.com/2007/11/too-few-good-me.html]
Retirement
The San Diego Union Tribune profiled Vokey following his retirement.
{{cite news
|url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20080818-9999-1m18vokey.html
|title=Marine lawyer has sought judicial reform: Officer was retired over his objections
|work=San Diego Union Tribune
|author=Rick Rogers
|author-link=Rick Rogers
|date=2008-08-18
|access-date=2008-08-18
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130202051646/http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20080818-9999-1m18vokey.html
|archive-date=2013-02-02
}}
The Union Tribune noted he had been forced into retirement even though another of his clients, Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich, who faces charges for the murder of two dozen civilians in Haditha, Iraq, has not had his court martial.
{{cite news
| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/31/AR2007083100200_pf.html
| title=Marine Testifies Against Ex-Squad Leader
| author=Thomas Watkins
| author-link=Thomas Watkins
| newspaper=The Washington Post
| date=August 31, 2007
| access-date=2007-08-31
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vokey, Colby}}