Justice Department Backs Some Constitutional Rights For Detainees

wsj.com:

The Justice Department has determined that detainees tried by military commissions in the U.S. can claim at least some constitutional rights, particularly protection against the use of statements taken through coercive interrogations, officials said.

The conclusion, explained in a confidential memorandum whose contents were shared with The Wall Street Journal, could alter significantly the way the commissions operate -- and has created new divisions among the agencies responsible for overseeing the commissions.

Read the whole story: wsj.com

Comments

[vietveter]

My personal fave; is their right to

Indefinite confinement

[OliverTwist]

That'll be your right too.

Just goes to show, there is always a sunny side.

[jalex26000]

Some? WHy not all? MOst of these men didnt do anything. The US found these men because it was probably supporting them at sometime in their career, Just like bin laden.

[gcallaghan]

"Military prosecutors have said involuntary statements comprise the lion's share of their evidence against dozens of Guantanamo prisoners who could be tried."

The argument could be made that Bushco was in league with the terr'ists and created a path to freedom for them

[CigarGod]

Ricochet....!

[OliverTwist]

There is no war because there are no enduring legal entities with authority to wage war or end war.

These people are not prisoners of war.

These people are either completely innocent or they are organized criminals - like the mafia - nothing more.

That's how they should be treated.

If we cannot convict them with legal testimony and legal evidence and have to set them free, then set them free.

It will inspire us to be more thorough next time.

Every precedent we set in this case will apply to our children. That's more important than whether or not a punk criminal gets sent back to drive a taxi in afganistan or not.

[wndrwrthg]

Perhaps they will extend or restore some to us.

[Shirley Fisk]

6/29/09
6:40am
Portland, Maine

Yeah!!

I'm an American who is not a detainee. What happened to my constitutional rights?

[vietveter]

You can have equal rights if you would like

Go to NKorea or Iran; I am sure they would treat you better

[mcqball]

The Magna Carta was signed in the 13th century. Sounds like the Justice department is
moving into the 14th lickedy-split.

[digeridoo2]

Why not? The Constitution was made for everyone man...(sound of bongrip gurgle)...we can't confine the rights of America to just Americans. Set it free, brother!

[wilsonveteran]

Since when do prisoners of war have rights under our constitution. Our constitution protects its citizens not the world. Do you think that they treat us as humanly when we are captured. Just because we are nice they will be nice. I don't think so. We are currently the laughing stock of the world. They see us as week and undessiive.

[fcsakes]

They see some of us as people who cannot spell.

POWs have rights - all human beings have rights and also, these are not POWs.

Go back to school and learn something, especially about spelling.

[S1m0n]

"They see us as week and undessiive."

They're starting to think we can't spell, either.

~~

If you don't want to think of them as having rights, think of it as us having obligations.

[RegLib]

We are the laughingstock of the world according to who? Care to cite some sources, or is the source for this statement just your own clouded mind?

[TJCole]

So the Justice Dept. full of Bush sycophants and incompetent lying political hacks and religious zealots..

Are seeking to salvage the cases they destroyed, due to their collusion in the violation of the Federal Torture Laws and 8th Amendment...and International Law..

These aren't rights for the detainees, it's a get off free card for these Justice Dept. losers Obama and Holder insist upon inflicting upon America even still...

Clean House Get these Swine out of Our Justice Dept...!

Restore the Rule of Law and Restore the Constitution..

[Gretel1or2]

!