This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/americas/5387278.stm
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
US House passes terror trial bill | US House passes terror trial bill |
(10 minutes later) | |
The US House of Representatives has passed a bill defining the rules for interrogating and trying foreign terrorism suspects. | The US House of Representatives has passed a bill defining the rules for interrogating and trying foreign terrorism suspects. |
The bill, backed by President George W Bush, would allow military tribunals to try the several hundred suspects held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. | The bill, backed by President George W Bush, would allow military tribunals to try the several hundred suspects held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. |
Supporters say the bill gives America the tools it needs to bring terrorist suspects to justice. | Supporters say the bill gives America the tools it needs to bring terrorist suspects to justice. |
Critics say it curbs the rights usually granted in civil and military courts. | Critics say it curbs the rights usually granted in civil and military courts. |
The legislation is a response to a Supreme Court ruling in June that the original military tribunals set up by the Bush administration to prosecute detainees were in violation of American and international law. | |
The new measures provide defendants with more legal rights than they had under the old system, but it eliminates their right to challenge their detention and treatment in federal court. | |
The bill forbids treatment of detainees that would constitute war crimes - such as torture, rape and biological experiments, but gives President Bush authority to decide which other techniques interrogators can use. | |
The Senate is expected to vote on a near-identical bill on Thursday, which if also passed, would give President Bush and Republicans a substantial victory before mid-term elections in November. |