Senate Moves to Expand Detainee Rights

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Associated Press

Senate Moves to Expand Detainee Rights
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May 25, 7:03 PM (ET)

By ANNE FLAHERTY

WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Democrats are backing a bill that would grant new rights to terror suspects held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, including access to a lawyer regardless of whether the prisoners are put on trial.

The proposal, approved this week by the Senate Armed Services Committee, also would narrow the definition of an enemy combatant and tighten restrictions on the types of evidence used to prosecute and keep a person detained.


A guards sits in a tower overlooking Guantanamo detention camp, at Guantanamo Bay US Naval Base, Cuba, Tuesday, May 15, 2007. The Guantanamo detention camps are being transformed into a more tightly controlled prison for a core group of alleged terrorists while many marginal detainees no longer seen as a threat have been transferred, Admiral Harry B. Harris, commander of the detention center, said before leaving his post Tuesday, May 22, 2007. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

The bill is aimed primarily at increasing legal protections for the hundreds of people captured by the United States and held for years on suspicion of terror ties without a trial. Only those selected for prosecution - typically the most high-profile suspected terrorists - are guaranteed legal counsel and other rights when they go to court.

The legislation has raised red flags at the White House as potential veto bait and among congressional Republicans, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, who said he was concerned that aspects of the bill may go too far.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20070525/D8PBMN0G0.html

[Patsy Stone]

1. 25 - 0

That's a nice margin. Now we have to hope that Graham and the others don't gut it when it comes up for discussion.

[Kagemusha]

2. Oh come on, AP. "New" rights? These are ancestral rights.

At one time it was actually believed that all human beings had certain rights when being placed in the custody of the US federal government, whether foreigner or citizen.

[nealmhughes]

3. Indeed, they are merely proposing to allow the exercise of the jailed, the Congress and admin.

had no right to disallow their rights under the UN Charter and the US Constitution or the Geneva Conventions.

Let us recall a headless Stuart king in Janurary 1649, let us recall the revolt of the barons and Runnymede in 1215, or the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

None of these men's rights have been lost, only their access to them curtailed, and that is the definition of a tyrant: arbitrary jailing and torture with denial of a defense or due process at a single person's pleasure.

No, their rights are not being expanded -- the exercise of them shall be restored.

[Kagemusha]

4. Yes, what you said. Well presented.

Restoration of rights isn't granting them new rights they never could have even envisioned before.

[MasonJar]

5. It would be appropriate if W remembered Runnymeade. He is the

King John of the USA. Also the 17th century Falwells took off Charlie's head so they could stop the sinful ways (encouraged in plays by Shakespeare and Marlowe and Jonson and all the wonderful etcs.) from cropping up in London. Cromwell and the Roundheads were the precursors of Bush and his cabal, the foreshadowing of the 21st century Taliban and the Evangelicals.

[2Design]

6. yeah, right and they will fold on this too - the fact that usa leadership

and congress critters support torture is horrific - if they did not support it - they would stop it - this bs is just ridiculous and an embarassment for usa people - they no longer represent the people other than the ones they have been able to brain wash

[LynnTheDem]

7. USA; not a world leader any more.

The only nations who want to follow our lead now are those nations who want to torture and detain their "enemies" without being "hampered" by stupid shit like human rights and rule of law.