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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings & Torture |
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July 7th,
2009 - Officials: Fate of Guantanamo Detainees Uncertain |
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Officials: Fate of
Guantanamo Detainees Uncertain By Lara Jakes Associated Press July 7, 2009 Washington - Obama
administration lawyers acknowledged Tuesday they are uncertain how they will
prosecute and deal with more than 200 detainees being held in the Guantanamo
Bay prison. With just over six months to
go on President Barack Obama's commitment to shut down the U.S. Navy's prison
camp in Cuba, administration officials told the Senate Armed Services
Committee it's far from clear how many detainees will face court trial, or
where. The dilemma is at the heart
of the debate over the future of the remaining Guantanamo detainees and what
legal rights they will have as their cases go forward under military and
civilian justice systems. Wary of the prospect of
terror suspects and foreign fighters imprisoned in their local communities,
Congress has blocked funding for transferring any Guantanamo detainees into
the United States for the 2009 fiscal year ending Sept. 30. There are 229 detainees at
Guantanamo. "If they're going to
have all kinds of different rights if they're tried in the United States
instead of Guantanamo, I think the American people should know that,"
said Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the top Republican on the panel. McCain,
like Obama, had previously called for Guantanamo's closure. Pentagon and Justice
Department attorneys said detainees who are moved into U.S.-based courts
would all but certainly seek stronger rights - but they would not get full
legal protections that the Constitution guarantees American citizens. "We're not suggesting
that the full range of constitutional rights would apply depending on
location," said Jeh C. Johnson, the Pentagon's general counsel. Copyright © 2009 The
Associated Press. External link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i4xYyvWDfL4tuqx_gqzGLQCH0i9gD999N0G80 |