The lawyer for an orthopedic surgeon from Yemen who was held in the prison at Guantanamo Bay for seven years will speak of his experiences at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 16, at Cole Cinema in the Campus Center at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.  William J. Murphy, of Baltimore, was the attorney for Dr. Ayman Batarfi, and helped secure his release last year.

 The college’s Center for the Study of Democracy organized the lecture in recognition of Constitution Day.  “The Constitution’s right to a petition of habeas corpus, to determine if a person is imprisoned lawfully, has been under question when it comes to Guantanamo,” said the Center’s director Todd Eberly. “In 2005, Congress eliminated it for all detainees there, but in 2008 the Supreme Court ruled they were entitled to the protection.”

 The lecture is free and open to the public.

 St. Mary's College of Maryland, designated the Maryland state honors college in 1992, is ranked one of the best public liberal arts schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. More than 2,000 students attend the college, nestled on the St. Mary's River in Southern Maryland.