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They let presidents convene them against "unprivileged enemy belligerents" or anyone designated a threat to national security. Any reason can be claimed or none at all.
They deny speedy trials or any at all. They legitimize torture extracted evidence. They also permit hearsay and secret evidence unavailable to counsel.
They deny due process and judicial fairness. They destroy human dignity. They mock rule of law principles. They sanction kangaroo court justice.
At the time, Obama contemptuously claimed that indefinite detentions and military commissions "broaden our ability to bring terrorists to justice, provide oversight for our actions, and ensure the humane treatment of detainees."
He lied. He spurned inviolable international and constitutional principles. On December 31, 2011, he went further. He signed the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
It legitimized indefinite detentions. It included US citizens at home and abroad. America's military may arrest and imprison them uncharged. It permits holding them without trial based on suspicions, hearsay, secret evidence, or none at all.
No reasonable proof is needed. Presidential diktat authority has final say. No one anywhere is safe.
Due process, civil protections, and judicial fairness became null and void. Presidents may order anyone arrested and imprisoned for life without charge or trial. Abuse of power replaced rule of law protections.
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