In Big Shift, U.S. to Follow Geneva Treaty for Detainees
By DAVID STOUT and JOHN O’NEIL
Published: July 11, 2006
WASHINGTON, July 11 — The Bush administration called today for Congress to fix, rather than scrap, the system of military tribunals that was struck down by the Supreme Court last month, while the Pentagon pledged to treat detainees in accordance with the Geneva Conventions as the court required.
But a key Republican senator warned that the administration was risking a “long, hot summer’’ if it pushed Congress to retain the tribunal system for the suspects now held at the detention center in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, instead of working to adapt traditional military courts to meet the demands of the war on terror.
The new Pentagon policy, outlined in a memo released today, and the proposal for modifying military tribunals, outlined in testimony before a Senate panel, represent the administration’s most detailed response to the Supreme Court ruling so far. The court found that the tribunals were illegal, and contradicted President Bush’s assertion that terror suspects were not entitled to the protections of the Geneva Conventions.
President Bush said last week that he “would comply’’ with the court’s ruling, but he has given no details of how he would do so.
The Pentagon memo, issued last Friday and released today, orders that all detainees be treated in compliance with what is known as Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, a passage that requires humane treatment and a minimum standard of judicial protections for prisoners. NYTimes____________
I would have thought that the Pentagon Memo would have gotten bigger play in the story. Other news services are leading with that big break with the Admin's insanity to ignore SCOTUS...kinda minimized here.____________
Bush extends Geneva protections to Guantanamo prisonersBETH GORHAM
WASHINGTON — In an abrupt reversal, prompted by a recent tongue-lashing from the Supreme Court, U.S. officials said Tuesday all detainess in the war on terror held at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere will be protected under the Geneva Conventions.
Until now, President George W. Bush has labelled terror suspects enemy combatants, refusing to legally recognize them as prisoners of war covered by the international accords, while maintaining the U.S. military is voluntarily complying.
But the Supreme Court ruled last month Mr. Bush's military tribunal system for Guantanamo detainees is illegal, saying it wasn't authorized by Congress and must follow guarantees of humane treatment and a minimum standards of judicial protections.
Globe