Rights Activists Assail Pentagon Guantanamo Moves

[G_j]

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=5624160

Rights Activists Assail Pentagon Guantanamo Moves

Thu Jul 8, 2004 05:25 PM ET


By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Human rights activists demanded on Thursday that the United States give lawyers access to Guantanamo prisoners, and criticized an internal process devised by the Pentagon for these foreign terrorism suspects to contest whether they are being held lawfully.

The Pentagon said on Wednesday a newly created tribunal of three U.S. military officers will conduct hearings to permit all of the approximately 594 prisoners held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to challenge their status as an "enemy combatant" rather than prisoner of war.

The announcement came in response to the Supreme Court's June 28 ruling that Guantanamo prisoners have the right to use U.S. courts to challenge their confinement.

But the Pentagon said Guantanamo prisoners cannot have a lawyer for the tribunal hearings, and that unspecified security and other arrangements must be resolved before detainees can have access to lawyers for court challenges to their imprisonment.

..more..


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related:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=672367&mesg_id=672367

Pentagon accused of evading Guantánamo ruling

Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington and Vikram Dodd
Thursday July 8, 2004

The Guardian

The Pentagon said last night it would create military review panels to weigh the legality of detentions at Guantánamo, in a measure that critics said falls far short of a supreme court ruling that entitles prisoners to challenge their detentions in US courts.
In the Bush administration's first response to last week's sweeping court verdict, senior military and justice department officials told reporters yesterday that the Pentagon would establish military pan els to review the detention of each of the 595 prisoners.

The four Britons in Guantánamo Bay have not been told of a ruling, the Guardian has learned.

They are among prisoners held at the prison camp without charge, trial or access to lawyers for up to 2 years.

The revelation will also put pressure on the British government to tell its citizens of the ruling when officials visit the prison camp. The Blair government risks another clash with its closest ally over the Guantánamo issue if the US refuses to allow UK officials to tell the Britons of their new rights.

..more..

[BattyDem]

1. WTF?

The announcement came in response to the Supreme Court's June 28 ruling that Guantanamo prisoners have the right to use U.S. courts to challenge their confinement.


Since when is a military tribunal a "US Court"? :grr:

[G_j]

2. Since Bush it seems

I'm not an expert on how these things work, but it doesn't sound too Kosher to me.

[Imperialism Inc.]

3. Well I guess we know now whether the Supreme Court ruling

was a win or a loss for justice. Justice lost big big time.

[G_j]

4. now more lawsuits will have to be filed I guess

will this make back to the Supreme Court again? I sincerely doubt it.