Press Statement
August 31, 2005
Amnesty International USA Responds to Change In Military Commissions
(Washington, D.C.)--The cosmetic changes to the military commissions that Brigadier General Thomas L. Hemingway announced today appear to be little more than an effort to give the commissions an appearance of fairness without addressing any of the numerous substantive changes that would be required to guarantee a fair trial.
"The fact that the Pentagon can call a press conference to announce its own changes to the system underscores the fundamental problems with this ad hoc process," said Jumana Musa, Amnesty International's observer to the military commissions. "Any system in which the rules change at the whim of one branch of government bestows no real rights to the accused. Such a system merely provides privileges that can be taken away at any time via the unilateral action of the executive branch."
The "revised" commissions would still allow evidence obtained by torture to be used against the accused, in violation of Article 15 of the Convention Against Torture, and the accused can still be excluded from the proceedings at the discretion of the presiding officer. In addition, there is still no independent review at any point in the process.
"If the U.S. government really wanted to provide 'full and fair' trials, the defendants would be tried in an established system of justice such as U.S. federal court or in a court martial. By insisting on going forward with these ill-conceived commissions, the administration is confirming its desire to apply sub-standard justice to foreign nationals. The announced rule changes to the military commissions amount to little more than hanging curtains on a condemned house and marketing it as renovated," Musa said.
Amnesty International continues to call on U.S. authorities to abandon the military commissions and to rescind the Executive Order that created them.
###
Contact: AIUSA Press Office 202-544-0200 x 302
Make a difference!
» Mohammed Mohammed Hassan Odaini
» Demand Justice for Kuwaiti Nationals Illegally Detained at Guantanamo
» President Obama and Congress: Respect Human Rights and Counter Terror With Justice
