Defense Department To Issue New Guidelines For Military Tribunals For Terrorists
Tue Dec 10 2002 10:56:37 ET
The Defense Department is working on final preparations for a system of military tribunals to prosecute suspected terrorists, the WALL STREET JOURNAL reported on Tuesday.
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"Pentagon General Counsel William J. Haynes II said an Office of Military Commissions has been set up and could have the courts running 'pretty quickly' after President Bush gives the order." Defense officials are "readying a handbook listing the 'crimes and elements' that prosecutors will use to bring charges, Mr. Haynes said.
The handbook, expected to be issued by year's end, will set forth 'standards of conduct for belligerents' that 'illustrate' possible crimes, but will not be a rigid code, he said. The tribunals themselves, which will consist of three to seven military officers, would have the last word on whether a particular offense should be considered a crime, he said."
The Journal added, "The handbook may define membership in al Qaeda as a war crime, he said. Doing so would allow prosecution of prisoners who haven't been linked to a specific violent act, but are known to have attended terrorist training camps or otherwise shown allegiance to the terrorist network."
