U.S. to Give Afghan Detainees More Rights
Military will let Afghan detainees challenge their detention
Updated 1:00 AM EDT, Sun, Sep 13, 2009
President Obama is readying plans that will allow hundreds of prisoners in Afghanistan to begin challenging their detention, possibly as soon as this week, according to reports.
The new system will assign a military official to each of about 600 prisoners, most of whom are being held at Bagram Air Base. The official could then gather exculpatory evidence and call witnesses before a board that has the power to decide whether the detainees should be held by U.S. or Afghan officials or be released, according to reports by The New York Times and The Washington Post.
Some prisoners have been held without charge for as long as six years at Bagram, and the jail itself has become a major source of resentment against Americans. The new detainee policies would represent the first substantial shift in approach in Afghanistan since President Obama took office.
But human rights groups say they are not sure the new measures go far enough, especially since the officials who will represent prisoners will not be lawyers.
Get more: MSNBC, New York Times
First Published: Sep 12, 2009 11:47 PM EDT
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