Bush Guts Enforcement of Geneva Conventions
Hold your praise for Bush's turnaround on the overseas detention of suspected terrorists. The ACLU explains why:
"The president also proposes to gut enforceability of the Geneva Conventions by amending the War Crimes Act to completely immunize from prosecution civilians who subjected persons to horrific abuse that may have fallen short of the definition of 'torture.' As a result, government officials and civilian contractors who authorized or carried out waterboarding, threats of death, and other abuse would get a 'get out of jail free' card under the president's bill. The nation's soldiers and sailors would remain liable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, but civilians would be immune from prosecution under the only statute that applies to many of these acts. That is simply wrong.
"The new Army Field Manual avoids some of the worst problems with earlier drafts and clarifies that those held by the military or at military facilities must be afforded the protections of the Geneva Conventions. However, it then creates loopholes for so-called 'unlawful combatants' by depriving them of the same protections--and specifically authorizes holding persons in isolation. And, the new manual does not apply to those held by the CIA. The Bush proposal is lip service unless the executive branch actually holds people accountable for violating it.
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