Jan 23 2009
Halting Guantanamo Prosecutions?
So Obama has ordered a halting to all of the Guantanamo prosecutions. Which is good, in that it is a step toward following through with his promise to close the prison. And I think it’s good to let him and his administration review the process and review the cases before continuing.
But, I really wonder if some of the ideas being talked about would work. Trying these individuals in a Federal Court? Perhaps this was the right idea when they were first obtained, but now it can be nothing but disaster. How can we pretend to give these people rights when we have denied them for so long?
What happens when they appeal their verdicts based on the right to a speedy trial? Or when they say that their statements were obtained in unconstitutional ways? Perhaps we should have tried them in the criminal justice system to begin with, but now we need to weigh the value of giving them the rights of “ordinary” suspects with the risk of them getting off, even though it’s obvious that they are dangerous criminals.
I’m interested to see what Obama does, and how it works out.
