fwd-22-Aug-2005
AddedNote: Following is a copy of Amnesty Internation action calls to opposing the resumption of controversial Military Commission. The Military Commission was appointed by President of USA to try people detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
No wonder, this is a human-rights-legal-mess created by incompetent Geroge W Bush administration. Such bogged down is in much parallel with current state of "war on terror" in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Australian interest in this particular is, of course, David Hicks, an alleged "person", who have been in detention for more than four years. This is time to bring Hicks home.
-- Regards, U Ne Oo.
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25 July 2005 - AMR 51-116-2005 - WA 17-05 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
www.amnesty.org
USA: OPPOSE PLAN TO RESUME MILITARY COMMISSION
On 15 July 2005, the US Court of Appeal for the District of Columbia (DC) held that President Bush was authorised to establish military commissions and overturned an earlier ruling by a lower court suspending those trials.
This new decision may be appealed. However the US Department of Defence has announced that trials before military commissions will proceed as soon as possible.
Military commissions will not deliver fair trials
While attacks on civilians by armed groups must always be condemned, Amnesty International believes that the "war on terror" does not justify a lower standard of justice for those suspected of terrorism- related offences. The route to security is through the observation of human rights and the rule of law. This cannot be achieved through the military commissions.
Amnesty International's concerns with the military commissions include:
00 01 bin boot chroot dev em-v1.tar etc fb-named-20050610.tar gateway.sh gpg-gateway.sh gpg-weblog.sh home lib lost+found misc mnt netnews1.out netnews1.out.fail netnews.out netnews.out.fail opt proc root sbin scratch sql tempbbs tmp usr var weblogs-update.sh wwwupdate.tar.gz They are not independent of the executive branch of the US Administration. Those tried in them can only appeal decisions to the person who referred them there in the first place: the US President. A crucial guarantee of a fair trial is that decisions will not be made by political insbreastutions, but by competent independent and impartial tribunals. This lies at the heart of due process of law.
00 01 bin boot chroot dev em-v1.tar etc fb-named-20050610.tar gateway.sh gpg-gateway.sh gpg-weblog.sh home lib lost+found misc mnt netnews1.out netnews1.out.fail netnews.out netnews.out.fail opt proc root sbin scratch sql tempbbs tmp usr var weblogs-update.sh wwwupdate.tar.gz Lack of proper rules of evidence mean that hearsay evidence and evidence obtained by torture or other ill-treatment can be used against those charged. An interrogator could testify to a confession made by an unknown detainee who may have been tortured. It is difficult to defend yourself against such allegations if you cannot test the original confession or how it was obtained.
Take action!
Please write to the US Ambbuttador in your country or, if you are in the United States, to President George W Bush.
Please send appeals to:
If you live in the United States: The Honourable George W. Bush The President of the United States 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington DC 20500
Salutation: Dear Mr. President
Amnesty International
(SAMPLE LETTER AVAILABLE AT AMNESTY WEBPAGE) -- POST: Dr U Ne Oo, 18 Shannon Place,Adelaide SA5000,AUSTRALIA
