Bush Urged to End Guantanamo ‘Charade’

Human rights group Amnesty International today called on the US government to “end the charade” of Guantanamo Bay.

The call came after reports that military lawyers assigned to the inmates accused of international terrorism believe tribunal rules violate their own professional and ethical codes.

Some 660 Taliban and al Qaida suspects, including nine Britons, are being held as “unlawful combatants” at the US naval base in Cuba.

Amnesty International’s Rob Freer said: “It is time for the US to end the legal charade of Guantanamo Bay.

“Reports that military lawyers for Guantanamo Bay detainees have refused to take part in planned trials by military commissions only underlines the rampant unfairness of the whole process.”

It was reported yesterday that lawyers representing prisoners at Guantanamo Bay were planning a lawsuit against the US government, claiming that fair trials for the detainees were not possible.

American lawyers said the rules governing the forthcoming military tribunals were so restrictive that they effectively prevented due process of law.

Mr Freer added: “It is not too late for the US authorities to scrap plans for these trials, replacing them with an open process that would mean detainees have immediate access to lawyers – with interrogations meanwhile suspended – and proper trials with full appeal rights and no resort to the death penalty.

“Anyone who is not to be charged with a recognisable criminal offence should be immediately released.”

None of the inmates held as part of the war on terror has had a court hearing – a situation which civil rights groups say is illegal.

Vanity Fair magazine reported that military lawyers assigned to the inmates had significant concerns about the tribunal plans.

The lawyers were putting their complaints to their respective state bar associations, which were expected to give the go-ahead for a suit in the US Federal Court, the magazine said.

The suit would claim that the orders given to the military lawyers were unlawful.

If successful, it could derail the controversial tribunal process.

Following months of political pressure, there is increasing speculation that some of the British detainees will be released soon.

Read Another Article

US Gives Australian Qaeda Suspect Access to Lawyer
Two on Trial in Bible Studies Beating

Related News Articles Topic(s): USA Subscribe to Religion News Blog updates Subscribe to Religion News Blog [What is this?] Get Religion News Blog's headline by Email [What is this?] Follow Religion News Blog at Twitter Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults: ApologeticsSearch.com: Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs. CounterCultSearch.com: Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, and cults experts -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support. Find Related Religion & Spirituality Books at Amazon.com USA Possibly related... or Most Popular Religion News Articles Kent Hovind: Evangelist arrested on federal charges Beast’s real mark devalued to ’616′ Muslim Woman Gives Sex Advice on Arab TV Michael Jackson Confirms Conversion to Islam Kent Hovind, ‘Dr. Dino,’ guilty on all counts The fall and rise of Carlton Pearson Search False prophet Harold Camping sets another date for rapture: May 21, 2011 Watch the film Theo van Gogh was murdered for Kent Hovind — Dr. Dino — sentenced to 10 years in prison

Search Religion News Blog