30/06/2006
The Pentagon reaffirmed the need for the Guantanamo prison even though the US Supreme Court rejected the system of military tribunals put in place to try the prisoners.
Camp commander Rear Admiral Harry Harris earlier said such a ruling would not affect the running of the camp and prisoners' lawyers said it may do little to secure their freedom in the short term. About 450 suspected al Qaeda and Taliban captives are held at the US Navy base in Cuba. Some have been held at Guantanamo since the prison camp opened in January 2002. Senior administration officials said the ruling "will have no impact" on the detention of any of the prisoners now at Guantanamo or the status of the prison. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said after the ruling: "Guantanamo serves as an important detention and intelligence (gathering) facility. These are dangerous people. Many of them have vowed to go back to the battlefield if they were released." He said Guantanamo serves as a place where the US was able to learn about terrorist networks, their operations, their activities and enables them to thwart future attacks. The Supreme Court ruling found that military tribunals created by the US government to try detainees violated the Geneva Conventions and US military rules. Only 10 Guantanamo detainees have been charged and faced trials under the system.
SOURCE: Newswire.co.nz |
