Guantanamo

U.S. drops 'enemy combatant' term The Washington Times — The Justice Department on Friday jettisoned the term "enemy combatant," ditched some of the George W. Bush administration's assertions of presidential power and raised the standard needed to hold detainees at the naval prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. But some scholars and advocates say the moves are mainly symbolic breaks with the Bush administration and will have little actual impact. click to read complete article

Obama breaks sharply with Bush on terror suspect detention Kansas City Star — Breaking with the Bush White House, the Obama administration on Friday said it intends to establish specific criteria for the continued imprisonment of terrorism suspects now at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba, which President Barack Obama intends to close. In a court filing in Washington, the Justice Department said the government's authority to continue to jail suspects would hinge on proving that they "authorized, committed or aided" the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks or that they "were part of or substantially supported" the Taliban or al-Qaida. click to read complete article

Obama retains Bush policy on Guantanamo Examiner — Trying to distance himself from former President George W. Bush's connection with the detention of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, President Barack Obama apparently thinks that by dropping the words "enemy combatants", he could put a new face on similar policies. In a court filing on March 13, 2009, Obama's Justice Department stated that the president has the authority to detain terrorism suspects there without criminal charges. That is exactly the same thing that was asserted by the Bush administration. In other words, the new administration will defend its right to hold detainees at Guantanamo. click to read complete article