Re: Red Cross lambasts US terror law

[Robert <Robert@xxxxxxx>]

Robert L Bass wrote:
> Red Cross lambasts US terror law
>
>       Mr Kellenberger said the ICRC was still studying the law
> The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has expressed concern over a newly-approved US anti-terrorism law.
> ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger said the law raised "questions" about its compliance with the Geneva Conventions on the conduct of
> war.
>
> He said some points had been ommitted, such as the right to a fair trial and the ban on humiliating and degrading treatment of
> prisoners.
>
> President Bush signed the law on Tuesday, saying it would say US lives.
>
> The Military Commissions Act of 2006 sets standards for the interrogation and prosecution of foreign terror suspects held by the US.
>
> The law aims to enshrine defendants' human rights, but still restricts their right to challenge their detention.
>
> It follows a Supreme Court ruling in June that military tribunals set up to prosecute detainees at Guantanamo Bay violated US and
> international law.
>
> ICRC criticism
>
> "Our preliminary reading of the new legislation raises certain concerns and questions," Mr Kellenberger said.
>
>      MILITARY TRIBUNALS
>
>
>
>       Q&A: US military tribunals
>       Room for questioning
>
> "The very broad definition of who is an 'unwlful enemy combatant' and the fact that there is not an explicit prohibition on the
> admission of evidence attained by coercion are examples."
>
> Mr Kellenberger said the ICRC would discuss its concern with the White House, such as how the law "omits certain violations from the
> list of acts that are war crimes under US domestic law".
>
> "These include the prohibition of outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment, and the
> prohibition of the denial of the right to a fair trial, which is a basic protection provided for in international law," he said.
>
> Special tribunals
>
> Mr Bush said on Tuesday the law would allow the CIA "to continue to question terrorists and save lives".
>
>
>       Mr Bush said the law would save American lives
>
> "It complies with the spirit and letter of the US's international obligations," the president added.
>
> He said the law also set out a system of special tribunals, which would give defendants a fair trial.
>
> "These military commissions will provide a fair trial in which the accused are presumed innocent, have access to an attorney, and
> can hear all the evidence against them. These military commissions are lawful, they are fair, and they are necessary."
>
> The legislation was passed by both houses of Congress in September after intense debate.
>
> Civil liberties groups say the law does not guarantee detainees' rights, and legal challenges are to be expected.
>
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