I can definitely see everyone's point of view in the sense that the guy pulled a stupid stunt, but a lot of you seem to be arguing that this guy was committing treason. From what I remember being taught, treason is a war crime, a crime that is a betrayl of the country they have a sworn allegiance to. I dont see any such relationship with the crime this John Downs was convicted of.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know, no prisoner of Guantanamo Bay is serving time for a commerce related crime. I have never heard of anyone serving a life sentence, or be put to death, for committing a crime that would only result in financial loss. That and what does democracy have to do with the matter? I don't think there has ever been a National vote on the closure of Guantanamo where the majority of Americans decided that action be taken to eliminate the prison. Yes, the prison is hypocritical, but I don't see how it falls into the category of undemocratic.

With that said though, this guy and his family dont have any legitimate claim to have him moved to the States to serve his sentence, nor do they have a claim to have his crimes subjected to any law other then Qatari law. If he wanted to punish the country, he should have taken his experience and his education out of here. If Qatar is so dependant on gas that his crime is designated as treason, then the one economy's dependance would lead to the countries eventual failure without his contribution.