The military convened the Combatant Status Review Tribunals in response to a Supreme Court ruling in June that prisoners have a right to challenge their detention in US courts.
Each detainee is being assigned a military officer as a "personal representative" for the reviews. Defense lawyers argue that officer is acting as a government agent and is not impartial.
So far, five detainees -- three Yemenis, one Saudi and one Moroccan -- have refused to appear before the panels.
Military officials say detainees who have attended hearings include a Pakistani fighter linked to the Taliban, an Algerian who has threatened to kill Americans if freed and a Yemeni who signed an oath of allegiance to Osama bin Laden.
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