Groups: U.S. Misuses Material Witness Law [View All]

[maddezmom]

By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration has misused a federal law to detain at least 70 terrorism suspects since the Sept. 11 attacks, two advocacy groups contend.

Administration officials defend the detentions by pointing out that judges approved material witness warrants.

The material witness law, enacted in 1984, allows the arrest and detention of witnesses who might flee before testifying in criminal cases.

Only 28 of the suspects were eventually charged with a crime, according to the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch, and most of those charges were not related to terrorism.

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