Blog
Published on March 19, 2010
As reports come in that the administration may buckle to political fearmongering and abandon plans to try detainees in federal courts, Attorney General Holder has held strong.
Tell the Attorney General you support his decision to try suspects in federal courts – and send a copy to key White House officials as well.
He made strong statements favoring trials in federal courts for Guantanamo detainees at a House subcommittee hearing on Tuesday and mentioned that a decision would be made in weeks – not months. He will go before the Senate Judiciary committee this coming Tuesday. So now is the time to show your support.
The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday will likely get heated as certain members of Congress will undoubtedly try to block his efforts. His announcement this fall that he would pursue trials in New York federal courts brought a wave of criticism – and fearmongering – from people like Liz Cheney and her father, the former Vice President, that has jeopardized his efforts to close Guantanamo.
Opposition is based on fear, not facts. The federal courts have an excellent track record at tackling these cases – hundreds of convictions since 9/11 vs. 3 in military commissions.
Human Rights First brought national security experts to the Hill to give these facts and figures to key members of Congress and their staff. We’re now trying to build voices of citizens to join our efforts on the Hill and in the administration to show skeptics in the White House that there is public support for federal trials.
It was just reported in the Wall Street Journal today that the White House may be buckling under the politics of fear. Help us push back: Thank Mr. Holder for his efforts and retweet our response to the Wall Street Journal – pointing out the facts behind federal courts. They work; military commissions don’t.
