News In Briefs

Bush Seeks To Legalize Torture

The US House of Representatives has voted 253-168 in favor of tough new anti-terror laws that will retrospectively protect CIA torturers from prosecution under US War Crimes legislation.
Democrat Steve Israel said "The bill says to terrorists that we are abandoning the moral high ground, this is a bad move in fighting terrorism and bad for America."
Republican House Speaker, Dennis Hastert, said Democrats had "voted in favor of more rights for terrorists".
"So these same terrorists who plan to harm innocent Americans, and their freedom worldwide would be coddled if we followed the Democrat plan."
The bill will not change Geneva Convention protection to enemy combatants, but its guidelines allow ‘tough interrogations’ and Presidential discretion when it comes to defining what methods are used.
Detainees will also be stripped of their right to appeal their detention in US courts. It was the appeals process that led to the US Supreme Court ruling that the activities at Guantanamo Bay were ‘unconstitutional’.
The bill still needs Senate approval, but it looks likely it will succeed.

Republican Congressmen after the vote

posted by Steve @ Friday, September 29, 2006