Images that shame
US
WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Despite objections
from the Bush administration, a U.S. Senate panel on Thursday adopted a bill
acknowledging the legal rights of detained terror suspects and calling for
accordance with the Geneva Convention.
The bill, which passed the Senate Armed Service
Committee by a 15-9 vote, highlights the clash between U.S. President George W.
Bush and some lawmakers on the detainee legislation.
The president's proposal on the legislation is much
harsher than the Senate bill, allowing classified evidence to be withheld from
defendants in terror trials, using coerced testimony and protecting U.S.
interrogators against legal prosecution for using methods that violate the
Geneva Conventions.
But the Senate bill resisted Bush's bid to redefine
the Geneva Conventions' standards for humane treatment of prisoners, which Bush
had said was essential to continue the CIA's program to get valuable information
from detainees.
The move was also seen as a Republican internal fight
since it was pushed by three Republican Senators, which included panel chairman
John Warner, Republican heavyweights John McCain and Lindsey Graham.
Meanwhile, Colin Powell, Bush's former secretary
of state, declared his opposition to the president's proposal on the
detainee legislation in an open letter that said Bush's stand will add the world's
doubts on the U.S. war on terror and "put our own troops at risk."
Earlier in the day, Bush visited the Capitol to woo
supporters for his own version of the legislation.
The president also said he would reject any bill
opposing his stand on the detainee issue.
The committee's bill still faces a tough fight and it
is unclear whether it would reach the Senate floor, as Republican leader Bill
Frist could instead offer Bush's bill, which he supports.
But supported by Democrats and moderate Republicans,
Warner, McCain and Graham could push for amendments to implement key parts of
their plan opposed by Bush. Enditem
Related:
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BEIJING, Sept. 8 -- US President George W. Bush has
urged Congress to pass legislation as quickly as possible, to authorize new
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Guantanamo. >>>
WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- By announcing transfer
of 14 key terror suspects from secret CIA custody to U.S. naval base at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, U.S. President George W. Bush acknowledged on Wednesday
the prisons' existence.
>>> US urged to close all secret detention
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GENEVA, July 28 (Xinhua) -- A UN human rights panel on
Friday urged the United States to close all secret detention centers and allow
access to those detained in connection with the "anti-terrorism war." <<Full story
CIA operating secret prisons abroad:
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Immediately after The
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has been operating a secret prison system abroad, the spy agency sent a report
to the Justice Department requesting a review of the story to determine whether
classified information was leaked. <<Full story
U.S. military expects Guantanamo
tribunals to resume
WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. military
expects military tribunals could resume at Guantanamo base as soon as early 2007
once the U.S. Congress approves new legislation for trying terror suspects. >>>
3 Guantanamo detainees commit
suicide 
WASHINGTON, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Three foreign
prisoners being held at the U.S. navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, committed
suicide by hanging themselves with clothing and bedsheets on Saturday, the U.S.
Defense Department said. >>>
