"The president can now, with the approval of Congress, indefinitely hold people without charge, take away protections against horrific abuse, put people on trial based on hearsay evidence, authorize trials that can sentence people to death based on testimony literally beaten out of witnesses, and slam shut the courthouse door for habeas petitions," said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero
Signed into law this morning, along with the president praising Rumsfeld for his handling of the whole clusterfuck.
Bush needed the legislation because the Supreme Court in June said the administration's plan for trying detainees in military tribunals violated U.S. and international law.
So if they make it legal now, MAYBE they can evade the world court....but I assume Pol Pot and Hitler thought their actions legal as well.
The bill also eliminates some rights common in military and civilian courts. For example, the commission would be allowed to consider hearsay evidence so long as a judge determined it was reliable. Hearsay is barred from civilian courts.
Like I said, witch trials, nothing more than witch trials.
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