Posted on: Sunday, November 16, 2003

EDITORIAL
Accountability for Guantánamo?

We're encouraged that the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider the detention of some 660 people at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, although it may be too much to hope that the justices will overrule the Bush administration's arrogant conduct there.

Existing precedents have dictated that U.S. courts have no jurisdiction over non-Americans detained abroad.

But it's just possible that some of the justices are alarmed or offended by the disregard for a host of international precedents that were crafted under the leadership of the United States, including the Geneva Convention.

Of course, the rules of war permit the detention of enemy prisoners, but the "war against terror" is boundless and perpetual. It's unreasonable to hold these people indefinitely, anonymously, without counsel or any hope of appeal.

The White House may believe that such harsh measures contribute to the safety of Americans, but that's a shortsighted view. In fact, they present a blank check to those nations that are already inclined to violate human rights.