Patrick Leahy: “When the Department of Defense authorization bill passed the Senate on November 15, I spoke of my concerns about an…”

“When the Department of Defense authorization bill passed the Senate on November 15, I spoke of my concerns about an amendment that limits the rights of detainees in U.S. custody at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to file habeas corpus petitions in federal court. That amendment was modified in conference to further erode these rights, and then identical text was added to the conference report on Defense appropriations to ensure that the language was enacted into law in one bill or the other. Debates over the treatment of detainees have dominated our discussions of both the Defense authorization and appropriations bills. Senator McCain waged a battle with the White House and his own party to ensure that his amendment requiring the humane treatment of detainees was retained in the conference reports. I commend Senator McCain and the members of the Congress who have fought to address these issues. Despite calls from many of us over recent years, the legislative branch has not met its obligation of oversight and policymaking in this area. I am encouraged that more than 18 months after the revelation of atrocities at Abu Ghraib, we are finally willing to confront this issue. The administration fought this provision for months, with the President vowing to veto any bill that contained it.…”