President George W. Bush announced Nov. 13 in an executive order that military tribunals can be used instead of full-fledged public trials for terrorists he believes are linked to the Sept. 11 attacks. But though tribunals are able to serve justice swiftly, public trials would lift the veil of secrecy that has shrouded the investigation thus far.
According to Bush’s military order, he will personally select the suspected terrorists to be tried in private military tribunals. Details of each case, including evidence against the suspects, will be kept secret, and the suspect on trial would be blocked from appealing to other U.S. and international courts.
By redefining justice for the suspected terrorists, Bush and Attorney General John Ashcroft are keeping the facts from Americans. We have the right to know who these suspects are, what charges are being brought against them and further details of their individual cases. As Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said last week: “We stand for a great deal in this country. … [But] when we’re talking about setting aside our criminal justice system for something like this, we end up looking more and more like some of the things that we are fighting against.”
All secrecy surrounding the terrorist attacks should be eliminated. This includes any evidence the administration has gathered against Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda network and its links to other terror organizations. Although we have been told by our government leaders that bin Laden and his terror organization are responsible for the attacks, we have not yet been allowed to view any concrete evidence to justify the so-called “war” in Afghanistan since the bombing began.
If the Bush administration won’t provide the evidence, then how do we know evidence will be properly presented to prove guilt in military tribunals? Justice must be served swiftly to those responsible for the horrific attacks on our country, but the nation must not compromise its integrity and standards of justice. Military tribunals would only work if all of the details of the trials were made public record.
We have been kept in the dark too long. If hard
evidence exists that links certain terrorists to the September attacks, it needs to be presented to the public. Continuing without doing so is unfair to every American citizen.