Bush Continues to Stonewall on Guantánamo; Detainees Are Not Given a Fair Trial

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NEW YORK -- In an interview broadcast on German television last night, President Bush said he would like to close the prison at Guantánamo Bay, but was awaiting a Supreme Court ruling on the legality of military commissions established by his administration. The American Civil Liberties Union, which has called President Bush's military commissions unfair and unlawful, today criticized the president for continuing to deny Guantánamo detainees a fair trial.

The following quote may be attributed to ACLU Legal Director Steven R. Shapiro:

"The president does not need the Supreme Court's authorization to close down Guantánamo or to give the detainees held there a fair trial. President Bush has had four years to do so. He should act immediately and stop making excuses for continuing to violate the Constitution by holding hundreds of men without charges."

"If President Bush intends to close down the Guantánamo prison camp, he needs to tell Americans and the world what he's going to do with the nearly 500 persons currently in detention, only ten of whom have been charged with any crime."

For more information on the Supreme Court case, go to www.aclu.org/ scotus/2005/ hamdanv.rumsfeld05184/ 24755prs20060328.html

For ACLU blog dispatches from Guantánamo, go to blog.aclu.org