1.   The detainees are often held in cruel and inhuman conditions.

2.   Two days earlier the human rights organization Amnesty International had reported on the conditions under which the detainees were held, and on allegations of torture.

3.   But now, no matter the outcome of such a hearing, the government can continue to hold the detainee by filing a form in one business day.

4.   In an effort to minimize security and safety problems, the INS no longer holds Cuban detainees in large concentrations.

5.   Matz also found no reason to transfer the case to another federal court because the naval base where the detainees were held was on Cuban soil.

6.   No one seems to know, however, how long the detainees will be held or what will be done with them.

7.   Nor is it clear how many detainees are being held as material witnesses, how long the government intends to hold them and how many have obtained legal representation.

8.   Not even immediate family can find out why or where many detainees are being held.

9.   Other detainees have been held for weeks after being cleared by the FBI of any criminal violations.

10.   Reversing itself, the Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that Israel is not justified in holding Lebanese detainees as bargaining chips for missing Israeli soldiers.