UN human rights investigators call on Obama to prosecute terror suspects in civilian court

United Nations human rights investigators called on the Obama administration on Tuesday to prosecute the accused September 11 masterminds in a civilian court, declaring that U.S. military tribunals would not be fair.

The White House is reviewing options to bring the 9/11 detainees to justice and U.S. officials said on Friday senior administration officials may recommend that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other suspects in the 2001 attacks face a military trial.

"I take the view that the Military Commissions Act is fundamentally flawed. It is very far from international fair trial standards and probably cannot be fixed," said Martin Scheinin, U.N. special rapporteur on the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism.

Scheinin and other U.N. rapporteurs are independent investigators reporting to the U.N. Human Rights Council, whose 47 members include the United States.

The Finnish international law professor, who has visited the U.S.-run detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, also said it would be a mistake for the Obama administration to try to reform the Military Commissions Act, proclaimed under President George W. Bush, to try to provide for fair trials.

"To me the only safe option is to go to regular federal criminal courts which also have a much better track record in dealing with terrorism cases than the very unfortunate military commissions," Scheinin told a news briefing in Geneva.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/03/09-8