Civil right groups on Thursday hailed a Supreme Court decision on military tribunals at Guantánamo Bay as a major victory for the rule of law and a stern rebuke to United States President George Bush.
”This decision moves us one step closer to stopping the abuse of power that has become the hallmark of this White House,” said Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union.
In a five to three vote, the Supreme Court ruled that Bush had overstepped his powers in setting up military war-crimes tribunals for detainees at Guantánamo Bay.
Specifically, it said the administration violated the Geneva Conventions and the US military code of justice in ordering a military tribunal to prosecute Salim Ahmed Hamdan, a Yemeni and former driver for al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
The ruling could have far-reaching consequences for all the estimated 450 Guantánamo detainees, as well as the general conduct of the US ”war on terror”.
”The Supreme Court has made clear that the executive branch does not have a blank check in the war on terror and may not run roughshod over the nation’s legal system,” Romero said.
Speaking to reporters outside the Supreme Court building, Hamdan’s military attorney, Lieutenant Commander Charles Swift, said the ruling marked a ”high water point” in American history.
”It’s a return to our fundamental values,” Swift said. ”It means that we can’t be scared out of who we are.”
In New York, the Centre for Constitutional Reform (CCR), which has spearheaded numerous challenges on behalf of the Guantánamo detainees, said the ruling was a victory for the rule of law, the Geneva Convention and the US Constitution.
”The Supreme Court has firmly rejected President Bush’s attempt to sidestep American courts,” said CCR president Michael Ratner.
”Now the president must act: try our clients in lawful US courts or release them,” he said. ”The game is up. There is no way for President Bush to continue hiding behind a purported lack of judicial guidance to avoid addressing the illegal and immoral prison in Guantánamo Bay.” — AFP
