Treatment of Terror Prisoners Unfair for Americans
- Many adults in the United States disagree with the reach of a recent law aimed at suspected terrorists, according to a survey by the polling company. 52 per cent of respondents think the Military Commissions Act of 2006 is unfair.
In September, the U.S. Congress authorized the Military Commissions Act of 2006. The legislation prevents the United States from resorting to torture in order to get information from terrorist suspects, allows these suspects to be held indefinitely without being charged with a crime, and forbids them from challenging their confinement in U.S. courts.
The 1949 Geneva Convention defines prisoners of war as members of rival armed forces captured during a conflict. Since the start of the war on terrorism on October 2001, there have been contradictory arguments after captured members of al-Qaeda and the Taliban were defined as "unlawful combatants" who were not subject to the Geneva Convention.
~snip~
Polling Data
Do you think the Military Commissions Act of 2006 is fair or unfair?
Fair
36%
Unfair
52%
Not sure
12%
more:
http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewItem&itemID=13812