Parts of Geneva Convention are “quaint” and outdated
Gonzales authored a controversial memo in January of 2002 that explored whether Article III of the Geneva Convention applied to Al Qaeda & Taliban fighters captured in Afghanistan and held in detention facilities around the world, including Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba. The memo made several arguments both for and against providing Article III protection to Al Qaeda fighters. He concluded that Article III was outdated and ill-suited for dealing with captured Al Qaeda fighters. He described as “quaint” the
provisions that require providing captured Al Qaeda fighters “commissary privileges, scrip, athletic uniforms, and scientific instruments”. He also argued that existing military regulations and instructions from the President were more than adequate to
ensure that the principles of the Geneva Convention would be applied. He also argued that undefined language in the Geneva Convention could make officials and military leaders subject to the War Crimes Act of 1996 if mistreatment was discovered.
Source: Wikipedia, Alberto Gonzales article
Jul 31, 2007
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