At Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba Tuesday a United States Army officer backed up her choice to allow American female guards to supervise Muslim prisoners at top-secret Camp 7, despite the fact that physical contact with “unrelated” women violates a core tenet of the captives’ religion, Islam.

The unidentified former commanding soldier told the court at the military installation that she based her controversial decision back in 2014 when guards were hard to come by, and red tape had hamstrung her pool of potential eligible personnel (proper training, security clearance, etc.).

It was a move that had damaging repercussions for the attorneys and justices working with the alleged terrorists.

This from the Associated Press:

[It] prompted outrage among some of the prisoners in Camp 7, including five men facing trial by military commission for their alleged roles planning and supporting the September 11, 2001 attacks. Lawyers for the men said they began refusing to attend meetings or to cooperate with their defense, making the issue yet another obstacle in frequently stalled legal proceedings against the men.

Female guards work regularly in the two main camps of the Guantanamo Bay detention center but have less physical contact with the prisoners. There are a total of 107 prisoners held at the base.

Back in January the judge overseeing the 9/11 case actually ordered to stop the use of female guards in Camp 7. Soon, however, military officials called for the order to be reversed, saying it was discriminatory and goes against previously established camp protocol.

More from the AP:

The former officer testified by video link from Massachusetts, where she has served with the state National Guard for 33 years and worked as a police officer for 21 years. She had never run a detention center before being appointed commander of Camp 7, which holds such prisoners as Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, the self-proclaimed architect of the Sept. 11 attack, and other alleged terrorists.

She said she consulted with a detention center cultural adviser before using women guards to transport prisoners and was told it would be OK because guards were touching male prisoners as part of their duties. She said the military made an effort to accommodate the men’s religious beliefs in general.

“Any inquiry, especially when it was linked to their religious practices, was reviewed thoroughly,” she said.

The legal representatives for the prisoners also claim that their clients have been traumatized by the experience. They also cry that it’s an easy fix, and could’ve been avoided.

Five of the jailed face almost 3,000 counts of murder in addition to the death penalty for being involved in the most deadly terrorist attack on American soil.