USA: U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee holds hearings to address legal rights of Guantanamo Bay detainees following recent Supreme court decision
Record ID:
872561
USA: U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee holds hearings to address legal rights of Guantanamo Bay detainees following recent Supreme court decision
- Title: USA: U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee holds hearings to address legal rights of Guantanamo Bay detainees following recent Supreme court decision
- Date: 12th July 2006
- Summary: (W4) WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (FILE) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF U.S. SUPREME COURT
- Embargoed: 27th July 2006 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa
- City:
- Country: USA
- Topics: Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA9EXAE4J0ZJC78BLTC0KT9K5X
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Tuesday( July 11) to address the legal rights of detainees held at Guantanamo Bay Cuba detention centres.
The hearings come as a response to a recent Supreme Court ruling that said the military tribunal system set up to try Guantanamo prisoners violates the Geneva Conventions and U.S. military rules.
That decision was a stinging blow for the administration in a case brought by Hamdan, who was Osama bin Laden's driver in Afghanistan. Hamdan, one of more than 400 foreign terrorism suspects at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was captured in November 2001.
The ruling, handed down on the last day of the court's 2005-06 term, followed the deaths of three Guantanamo prisoners this month and increased calls for Bush to close the prison camp.
At least three congressional committees were investigating options for the administration to set up a framework for military tribunals. Several lawmakers are in favour of tribunals following rules in place for court-martial proceedings, which are thought to afford more protections for the detainees than the military commissions.
Several Democrats have been critical of the administration's handling of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Senator Patrick Leahy said, "for years the administration violated fundamental American values, damaged our international reputation and delayed and weakened prosecution of the war on terror."
Assistant Attorney General Stephen Bradbury told the panel, "the court did not question the authority of the United States to detain enemy combatants in the war on terror and its decision does not require us to close Gitmo or release any terrorists."
The United States has come under international criticism for how it has treated detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and elsewhere. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None