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In Big Shift, U.S. to Follow Geneva Treaty for Detainees
Oh Goody! Does this mean we get to shoot them now?The new policy comes on the heels of a Supreme Court ruling last month invalidating a system of military tribunals the Pentagon had created to try suspected terrorists, and just before Congress takes up the question of a replacement system in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing today. As part of its decision, the court found that a key provision of the Geneva conventions, known as Common Article 3, did apply to terror suspects, contradicting the position taken by the Bush administration. Article 3 guarantees detainees a minimum level of rights expected in a civilized country. But what that includes and what procedures should govern their trials is expected to be the subject of lively Congressional debates all summer, beginning with todays Senate Judiciary Committee hearings. One of the more intriguing hearings will be held Thursday, when the current top military lawyers in the Navy, Army, Air Force and Marines are due to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Longstanding custom allows serving officers to give their own views candidly at Congressional hearings if specifically asked, and some in the Senate expect the current uniformed lawyers to generally urge that Congress not stray far from the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the system that details court-martial proceedings. Posted by: DanNY 2006-07-11 |
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