“One of the best pieces
of service I ever
rendered my country.”

STATEMENT OF ANTHONY D. ROMERO
               
There are times in this country when we find ourselves at a crossroads – where the path we choose has the potential to define us as a nation for generations to come.

Statements of Support Norman Reimer Janet Reno Retired Rear Admiral John D. Hutson Patricia Perry Lt. Colonel Stuart Couch William Webster Bishop Peter Selby Lawrence Wilkerson September 11th Advocates September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows Press Releases ACLU AND NACDL ASSEMBLING GUANTÁNAMO DEFENSE TEAMS (en Español) KHALID SHEIKH MOHAMMED FORMALLY CHARGED, DEFENSE LAWYERS' SECURITY CLEARANCE STILL DELAYED Historical Context DEFENDING FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES: AN ACLU TRADITION By Sam Walker

No doubt we've been at a critical juncture since September 11. How we respond to the atrocities thrust upon us after that terrible day says everything about who we are as Americans – what values we defend, how the world sees us, and how history will remember us. 

The manner in which we seek justice against those accused of harming us will determine whether the United States will be seen at home and abroad as a nation of laws.  We must decide whether we live the values of justice that make us proud to be Americans, or whether we will forsake those values and continue down a path of arbitrary rules and procedures more befitting those who are our enemies.  Because we are a great nation, true to our founders’ vision, we must uphold our core values even in the toughest of times.  The right to a speedy trial in a court of law before an objective arbiter; the right to due process; the right to rebut the evidence against you; the right not to be tortured or waterboarded, or convicted on the basis of hearsay evidence are what truly define America and our commitment to the rule of law and our founders' aspirations.

The military commissions set up by the Bush administration for the men imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay – including those it suspects were involved in the September 11 attacks – are not true American justice. These trials should represent who we are, what America stands for, and our commitment to due process. They are not about how civilized the accused are, but how civilized we are. America does not stand for trials that rely on torture to gain confessions, or on secret evidence that a defendant cannot rebut, or on hearsay evidence.

For these reasons, the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers have taken on the task of assembling defense teams to be available to assist in the representation of those Guantánamo detainees who have been charged under the Military Commissions Act, subject to the detainees’ consent.
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