[JURIST] A military judge on Wednesday suspended for 120 days [order, PDF] the military commission proceedings at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] against five alleged 9/11 co-conspirators [DOD materials], including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed [BBC profile; JURIST news archive], granting a request [motion, PDF; JURIST report] by lawyers acting at the behest of President Barack Obama [official website]. In a separate case, another military judge suspended proceedings [order, PDF] Wednesday against Canadian detainee Omar Khadr [DOD materials; JURIST news archive]. Also Wednesday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates [official profile] ordered a suspension [DOD press release] of all active military commission processes.

Advisers to Obama have said he plans to issue an executive order [JURIST report] during his first week in office closing the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, and speculation is that the order could come Thursday. On Saturday, the Department of Defense (DOD) announced it had transferred six detainees [JURIST report] out of Guantanamo Bay. Last week, a judge on the US District Court for the District of Columbia granted habeas [JURIST report] to Chadian detainee Mohammed El Gharani and directed his release. An ongoing hunger strike [JURIST report] at Guantanamo now involves 42 detainees.