Denying rights to those accused of terrorism "won't lower our standards"

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July 12, 2006

Hunter warns on terrorist courts-martial

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20060712-015416-3656r.htm

ASSOCIATED PRESS -- Rep. Duncan Hunter, California Republican, said relying on the Pentagon's court-martial system could force the release of dangerous terrorists and put them back on the battlefield in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We won't lower our standards. We will always treat detainees humanely, but we also cannot be naive, either," he said. His broadside came a day after the Bush administration said such detainees are protected by the Geneva Conventions.

Mr. Hunter's panel was conducting a hearing on the legal rights of detainees after a June 29 Supreme Court ruling that the Pentagon's planned military tribunal system violates international law.

In opening remarks at the hearing, Mr. Hunter suggested that Congress must not grant detainees access to the military's courts-martial system because it would afford them certain rights, such as immediately being informed of charges against them and immediate access to legal counsel.