Free Mp3 Ringtones :: Przegląd tematu - White House defends civilian trials for Guantanamo

beibei82

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs on Thursday defended the Obama administration's policy to try Guantanamo detainees in civilian courts instead of military commissions, a day after a New York court's verdict dealt a blow to the president's plan.
"In the case of Mr. Ghailani Tiffany Pendants, there was a guilty verdict, a minimum sentence of 20 years that incapacitated somebody that has committed a terrorist act and because of that incapacitation is not going to threaten American lives," Gibbs told a news briefing.
He was referring to a verdict issued by a federal court in New York City, in which a terror suspect once held at the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was convicted on only one of more than 280 terrorism-related counts.
This was the first trial of an ex-Guantanamo detainee in a federal court, which might have implications on future trials of terror suspects and Obama's efforts to eventually close the notorious Guantanamo prison.
Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a 36-year-old Tanzanian, had been accused of conspiring in the al-Qaida bomb attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 that killed 224 people, including 12 Americans.
He had been charged with murder Wedding dresses, attempted murder and conspiracy charges but was only found guilty of conspiring to damage or destroy U.S. property with explosives.
"The president remains committed to closing Guantanamo Bay to ensure that it is no longer the recruiting poster that it is right now for al-Qaida Sports Jerseys," said Gibbs.
Obama had promised to close the military prison within a year after his inauguration but missed this deadline. He was facing strong opposition from Republicans and some of his Democratic colleagues, who insisted military trials for terror suspects.
Opponents said Guantanamo detainees are "enemy combatants" who should not be given full legal rights in civilian courts, such as the right to remain silent. They also expressed concerns about security at the courthouses, which they said might be targets for terrorist attacks.
Ghailani's case was quoted by Republicans as new evidence for their argument that terror suspects should be tried in military commissions.
"Yesterday's acquittal in a federal court ... is all the proof we need that the administration's approach to prosecuting terrorists has been deeply misguided and indeed potentially harmful as a matter of national security," Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said on Thursday.
Chances of closing the military prison seemed to have become even slimmer, as Republicans have taken control of the House of Representatives and gained seats in the Senate in the midterm elections earlier this month.