Posted on 08/24/2007 4:49:17 PM PDT by SmithL
WASHINGTON, (AP) -- Twenty retired federal judges, two rear admirals and a Marine general joined 383 current or former members of the European and British parliaments on Friday in urging the Supreme Court to grant detainees at Guantanamo Bay full access to the U.S. court system.
Lower court rulings supporting the Bush administration's opposition to full court access "were seized upon by repressive governments as a license to incarcerate their own citizens and others with impunity," 25 retired American diplomats wrote in one court filing.
In June, the Supreme Court agreed to take the detainees' case, reversing a decision in April not to hear arguments over whether the prisoners can use federal courts to challenge their confinement. Court filings by the Bush administration in the case are due on Oct. 9.
The 383 European politicians of divergent political views said it is important that even when faced with the threat of international terrorism, all states, including the United States, comply with the standards set by international humanitarian law and human rights law by granting full court access.
"The treatment of petitioners currently falls short of these standards," the European diplomats said.
Currently, the 355 detainees have only narrowly structured appeal rights. They are entitled to a single civilian court review of their status as enemy combatants, a designation made by three-member military panels. The detainees have no legal counsel before the military panels, which rely largely on classified information that the detainees are not allowed to see.
The panels, called Combatant Status Review Tribunals, have been tainted by the permissible use of evidence obtained by torture, said a court filing by two former Navy judge advocates general and the former senior legal adviser for the Marine Corps.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Ditto.
Why don’t they let them have access to the British and European court systems....in fact....why don’t we just let the Gitmo prisoners loose in Britain and Europe?
this is total B.S.
These people are prisoners of war and thusly have no right to access to our court system. They can get a lawyer if we ever plan on trying them for war crimes.
Why do these people not understand that these are people that want to KILL us aand dominate the world with their unholy beliefs?
Non Americans should have access to taxpayer American courts? BS.
Close Gitmo and ship them to egypt. Let the egype courts handle them.
“Why do these people not understand...”
OPINION:
Willful ignorance.
Note to Eurotrash, you worry about your stagnant collapsing society 1st before lecturing us. We feel no desire to take advice from losers.
No. Nada. Never. Not a chance. Nope. Sorry. Try Again.
I’m sure these fools will never get the message. Non-citizens intent on doing harm to this country should never have access to the American court system. Not only would it set a dangerous precedent, it would be unconstitutional.
Wow. That's pretty paltry.
We should stop detaining non-citizens captured abroad while engaged in military actions against us because other governments incarcerate their own citizens with impunity?
Wow, totally missed that. Excellent point.
Of course it is. Heck, the reporting on what is going on is so twisted and mangled by our media that it even confuses foreign leaders.
Heck, Mr. Bill lied and told countries that his signature on things obligated the U.S. to things that couldn't be overturned...and they believed him, despite an even cursory reading of our Constitution showing he had no such power.
Agree. They should be granted full access to 25 feet of rope each.
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