Senate moves to expand detainee rights - Yahoo! News

Senate moves to expand detainee rights - Yahoo! News: "Senate moves to expand detainee rights " By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer 41 minutes ago WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats are backing a bill that would grant new rights to terror suspects held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, including access to a lawyer regardless of whether the prisoners are put on trial. Senate Armed Services Committee' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> Senate Armed Services Committee, also would narrow the definition of an enemy combatant and tighten restrictions on the types of evidence used to prosecute and keep a person detained. The bill is aimed primarily at increasing legal protections for the hundreds of people captured by the United States and held for years on suspicion of terror ties without a trial. Only those selected for prosecution — typically the most high-profile suspected terrorists — are guaranteed legal counsel and other rights when they go to court. The legislation has raised red flags at the White House as potential veto bait and among congressional Republicans, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (news, bio, voting record), who said he was concerned that aspects of the bill may go too far. "Any changes have to meet the test for me that they will not compromise our ability to wage war," said Graham, R-S.C., in a telephone interview Friday. Sen. Carl Levin (news, bio, voting record), D-Mich., chairman of the Armed Services Committee, tucked the new detainee measure into a $649 billion defense policy bill for budget year 2008, which begins Oct. 1. The legislation would affect the roughly 380 detainees currently held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay. Only two detainees have been identified to stand trial, although the Defense Department says it plans to bring charges against about 75 more. About 80 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay are slated for release. Under the current system, President Bush' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> President Bush can detain any individual suspected of engaging in or supporting terrorism. Only those selected for trial are provided lawyers and guaranteed access to evidence used against them. The others are appointed a military representative and regularly undergo reviews by a panel of military officers to determine whether they still pose a threat to the U.S. The panel is allowed to use hearsay and classified information as evidence — none of which is required to be provided to the detainee. Although Democrats supported the GOP legislation at the time, many party members — including Levin — said they feared Congress did not go far enough to prevent the abuse of prisoners being held without trial.