McCain calls for quicker process at Guantanamo News
McCain calls for quicker process at Guantanamo

[JURIST] Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) [official profile] said Friday that detainees at the US prison at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] who have been in the camp up to four years should have their cases heard and decided. Speaking to Associated Press at the World Economic Forum [official website] in Switzerland, McCain said: "All human beings, no matter how evil they are, have the right to some kind of adjudication … There should be some kind of system set up so their cases can be decided." Referring to the so-called McCain Amendment [JURIST document] to the 2006 military spending bill, banning cruel and inhumane treatment of detainees, he added that it was critical to "adhere to treaties that we are signatories to and observe basic human rights and obey the law that we just passed concerning cruel and inhumane and degrading treatment". Observers have expressed fear that the McCain measure might yet be nullified by President Bush's signing statement asserting a right to bypass the law [JURIST report], as well as stymied by the Graham-Levin Amendment [JURIST document] which severely limits access of detainees to the US federal courts. AP has more.