What rights do captured terrorist have in confinement?

Question

What do you think and why. Taking into consideration that terrorist do not wear uniforms, and do not represent a soveriegn country.

(don't beat me up, just a question and wanting to hear your thoughts)

Answer 1

Scrap human rights and KILL KILL KILL these scumbags.

Answer 2

Taking your considerations into view, do you think that members of a gang that kill multiple members of another gang in the middle of the street in say Los Angeles, should be given different rights then what we maintain for other criminals? The same criteria is present, they are terrorists in their own right, without sovereignity or uniforms. (I'm with you, Diamond, don't beat me up, I'm throwing out a comparison, however apt or not) The thing is with taking away the rights of captured terrorists, you basically go against one of the tenets of American Democracy, the "Innocent until proven guilty"theory. When you say that they are captured terrorists, how does one really know? I know there are a lot that we know ARE terrorist or so we think, but to hold an indetermined amount of people in a secret jail and coerce a confession against themselves and then proudly say we captured known Terrorists is completely defeatist as then how do you try them? Is their confession admissable? If admissable then what is the possible exposure as to how the confession was coerced? The great part about the United States is that we hold ourselves above savage nations that torture in order to get confessions, or use solitary confinement or threats against family. We have never believed that the end justifies the means, so to do this change (and I completely understand how people want vengence, how Americans could take joy in knowing a terrorist suffered, I get that) that adds fuel to the fire against us. At that point we in fact are the heathens we are portrayed as being, and all moral superiority has vanished

Answer 3

all captives of the us are entitled to the rights and coverage of the geneva convention. This states in short that prisoners must get at least 4 hours of sleep per 24 hour day, sufficient food, medical, shelter and clothing. They must be teated with respect and allowed to observe their religious beliefs openly. I am not sure if this is mandated but i know that in our prisons in cuba, the muslim inmates are each issued a quran, and a prayer mat so they may use when they conduct their 5 daily prayer sessions. Regardless of what the horrible minority of muslims/arab have done to us or are allies, they are covered under the geneva convention and we must adhere to that. I understand that some of these ******* deserve to have the **** kicked out of them, but if we did that (abused them) we, then, would only be as bad as them. We are better than that so we must show it. Not only that, but its only the radicals that are the bad guys. Muslims and the teachings of islam do not in any way shape or form condone what these terrorists are doing. Hence the reason why the terrorists (muslim radicals) kill more fellow muslims and arabs that they do americans.

Answer 4

They're not American citizens, so they don't have the rights provided to us and our justice system.

They're not representing a country we're at war with, so they don't deserve the protection of the Geneva Convention.

They are terrorists, and they should be treated as such. One of the greatest mistakes our government has made is not keeping some things secret - this is a perfect example. We should have tortured the hell out of these bastards, then cut their heads off when we were done with them.

Why are WE the only ones expected to fight a war following rules?

Answer 5

It's a good question. There are two things you mentioned, the lack of uniform and lack of country. I think that you could have said the same things about just about any revolutionary movement before it won the revolution.

People often times say we should deny the rights of terrorists. Of course, they assume that everyone in custody really is a terrorist.

Personally, I don't want to live in a country with secret prisons, with torture, with tribunals. Those things are a lot more corrosive to us than terrorists, because they turn us into them.

You don't measure this based on how malevolent they are, but on how malevolent we're willing to become.

People might just be evil, but I also think that some of those guys out there have a reason for what they're doing. It's twisted, it's hateful, sure- but what would drive a normal person who loves his life and his family to slaughter strangers? It can't just be that they're bad and we're good. That's too convenient.

Would anything change if we spent as much energy on solving the causes of despair and hopelessness as we do on secret prisons and cover stories for war?

I probably sound pie-in-the-sky to you. But before you write me off, remember that our whole country, our form of government, was just as pie-in-the-sky. It made no sense to distribute power, to step down from power voluntarily, for the leaders to follow and the people to lead. And I fear we're in danger of losing what has been the rarest and most successful experiment in human experience-democracy. Not because Bush is Hitler, but because the American people are acting like the German citizenry under Hitler.

Peace.

Answer 6

Outstanding question, one of the best I have read. Well, I'm just nutritionist and part-time fitness trainer, was never in the military, but I feel that since they do not represent a sovereign country, and because they do not care about human life, not even their own, or fellow Muslims, I think they have minimum rights, equivalent to a convicted criminal felony crime in solitary confinement.

Answer 7

To be safe give them the geneva convetion rules. Do NOT give them the Client - Lawyer confedentiality privelege. Monitor everything and give the least amount of privacy except for using the restroom{water closet} and when showering. Torturing only creates more resentment that will make people live the rest of their life to exact revenge.

Answer 8

Preferably none! As far as I know and understand the Geneva Convention does not accord protection to subjects not in a military uniform.

Answer 9

Unfortunately for you, your definition is not one that the US Supreme Court decided to use! They really don't care if they if they represent a country! Our "war on terrorism" doesn't represent a country, and Bush's definitions have lost 2 times at the Supreme Court!

They are entitled to what the Geneva Conventions say they are entitled too!

Answer 10

Human rights...

The SS, or the CIA, or the FBI, or the Mossad, none of them wear any uniform when they're out on some assassination mission. They carry fake passports, fake IDs, etc.

Same species, same methods, only one is backed by somebody from some government.

Answer 11

they have the rights of arrested criminals, depending on the relevant law of the country where they are arrested or incarcerated. They don't have the rights of military prisoners, according to the Geneva convention, since they do not represent a sovereign country