Obama Planning US Trials for Guantanamo Detainees

[tekisui]

WASHINGTON – President-elect Obama's advisers are quietly crafting a proposal to ship dozens, if not hundreds, of imprisoned terrorism suspects to the United States to face criminal trials, a plan that would make good on his promise to close the Guantanamo Bay prison but could require creation of a controversial new system of justice.

During his campaign, Obama described Guantanamo as a "sad chapter in American history" and has said generally that the U.S. legal system is equipped to handle the detainees. But he has offered few details on what he planned to do once the facility is closed.

Under plans being put together in Obama's camp, some detainees would be released and many others would be prosecuted in U.S. criminal courts.

A third group of detainees — the ones whose cases are most entangled in highly classified information — might have to go before a new court designed especially to handle sensitive national security cases, according to advisers and Democrats involved in the talks. Advisers participating directly in the planning spoke on condition of anonymity because the plans aren't final.

The move would be a sharp deviation from the Bush administration, which established military tribunals to prosecute detainees at the Navy base in Cuba and strongly opposes bringing prisoners to the United States. Obama's Republican challenger, John McCain, had also pledged to close Guantanamo. But McCain opposed criminal trials, saying the Bush administration's tribunals should continue on U.S. soil.

The plan being developed by Obama's team has been championed by legal scholars from both political parties. But it is almost certain to face opposition from Republicans who oppose bringing terrorism suspects to the U.S. and from Democrats who oppose creating a new court system with fewer rights for detainees.

more at link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081110/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_guantanamo;_ylt=Atz1EOjchv.mo2s9iZdp5Cis0NUE

[annabanana]

1. It's a tough knot that B*shCo tied.. . . . n/t

[Antennas]

2. If he does close Gitmo..

He will have my 110% backing and support throughout his entire presidency.

[Kdillard]

3. Bush is such a weasel leaving this mess for Obama to untangle.

Hopefully things will go smoothly with his plans and he will ultimately close down Gitmo.

[enough]

4. A perfect example of the quagmires and quicksand that Obama will have to navigate

when taking over from Bush and Company. Perils on all sides politically. But with our support he will prevail I have no doubt.

[JustAnotherGen]

5. Let the first to be released

Be the 'at the time of detainment' children.

I want them out of there on January 21, 2009.

Every single one of those people deserves a day in court - but we have committed gross acts of child abuse and they deserve special consideration. Don't believe me?

Check out Human Rights Watch and do a little digging. We had a child as young as ten 'rounded up' and imprisoned.

Excuse - I have to go brush my teeth. I just threw up in my mouth again.