Habeas Corpus: A Case Against Terrorism

Habeas Corpus Our country has certain laws protecting both civilians and prisoners. There is a law given the name Habeas Corpus which states that an accused must be brought before a judge and there must be sufficient evidence and reasoning of why the accused is being sent to jail. This allows the accused to defend their actions or prove the evidence being brought forth is false to keep from unjust imprisonment. Habeas Corpus has been followed since 1215 and recently was put on hold. Recently our nation has been accused of unjust imprisonment offshore in Cuba by the UN. Guantanamo Bay detainees have the right to Habeas Corpus even if held off American Soil. The United States adopted Habeas Corpus in 1215 and was suspended by President Bush
“ I heard about September 11 attacks for the first time in Guantanamo. I was no aware of their magnitude until after my release, when a reporter showed me the images online at an Internet cafe in Tirana” (Qassim). Many men being held in Guantanamo bay are not sure why they are being held, and what information they are supposed to be given. Most of the detainees don’t even understand the extent of what happened on September 11th, and they will not understand until they are let out and shown. How can we expect to gain information from those who have no idea what has even happened? It was a tragedy that happened to our country, but that doesn’t mean other civilians had the resources to understand what happened. Most of the detainees are innocent bystanders who were at the wrong place at the wrong time. That doesn’t mean that they know any new information that we need. We are harming innocent people and even killing them to get what we want, but we are gaining very little information. Habeas Corpus should not be taken away from the detainees, even the guilty monsters in America get it, why shouldn’t they? Especially when there is proof that most of them are
Most of the prisoners are innocent and need lawyers to make sure no more illegal actions happen. Human beings deserve the rights we have promised them no matter a criminal or a civilian. Unjust imprisonment is a serious crime, and even though it isn’t on American soil, the prison is still run by Americans. We need to take responsibility for the wrong that we have done, and try to make things right. Our country needs to stop being hypocritical and stand behind the law system that we are envied for. Habeas Corpus needs to be reinstated and the detainees deserve a fair trial or need to be let go.

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Katel, Peter, and Kenneth Jost. "Treatment of Detainees." os 16 (2006): 1-37. CQ Researcher. 27 May 2008