http://kohl.senate.gov/~kohl/press/05/06/2005615B37.html

KOHL BACKS INDEPENDENT COMMISSION TO EXAMINE CONDITIONS AT GUANTANAMO BAY DETENTION CENTER

Senate Judiciary Committee holds hearing to look at treatment of detainees

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee today held a hearing focusing on the legal treatment of detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba. Senator Herb Kohl, a member of the committee, backed a proposal by U.S. Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) to establish an independent commission to examine the conditions at Guantanamo Bay and make recommendations to move forward. Critics of the detention center have cited the indefinite detention of prisoners as a failure of the U.S. legal system in processing the detainees' cases. The panel heard testimony from witnesses from the Department of Defense and the Department of Justice.

"The stories coming out of the detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, continue to harm our image around the world," Kohl said. "Guantánamo does not represent the America we know. Instead, it stands in stark contrast to the values our nation symbolizes."

Several Senators of both parties have called on the Department of Defense to close the Guantanomo Bay detention center. Biden's proposal would establish an independent, bipartisan commission to review the legal treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo to ensure that they are detained and prosecuted in accordance with U.S. law.

"We believe that security and adherence to the rule of law are not mutually exclusive principles. We have the best justice system in the world. We can find a way to make this work," Kohl said. "Nobody is advocating the release of suspected terrorists. In fact, quite the opposite; they should be detained or prosecuted. But, this must be done in a way that is consistent with our values. There is a growing realization that the policies Guantánamo has come to represent should not continue."