Spring Break
Guantanamo Bay debate marks 50th anniversary of state ACLU
Betsy Cohen
Issue date: 3/4/09 Section: News
03/04/09 - Two advocates from the American Civil Liberties Union debated about the rights of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay last night in the University of Rhode Island Memorial Union.
The debate, held in Atrium 1, marked the 50th anniversary of the RI-Affiliate of the association and was the third, and last, debate of its kind.
Robert Corrente, the U.S. attorney for Rhode Island, and Jerry Elmer, the staff attorney for the Conservation Law Foundation in Rhode Island, debated the rights of Guantanamo Bay prisoners to habeas corpus, which is defined as a prisoner's right to seek legal relief from detainment.
Corrente and Elmer also addressed the options for future placement of these prisoners in front of an audience of about 30 people.
Corrente began by saying Guantanamo is a U.S. navy base that the United States leases, essentially at a perpetually renewable rate. Corrente said this area was chosen to serve its current purposes because it is a "well-defended, very secure spot" that does not offer any civilian spots for attacks to occur. He said the general public felt those in Guantanamo were "beyond all reach of habeas corpus [and] U.S. jurisdiction."
"You can read the whole U.S. Constitution and nowhere in the Constitution does it say that prisoners have the right to habeas corpus," Corrente said.
According to Corrente, it is important for people to discuss these issues and the United States has much to learn regarding its solutions and improvements surrounding such debates.
"A hundred years from now, anyone who studies constitutional law will realize that this time that we're living through is creating the foundations for the future," Corrente said.
Corrente gave historic examples of the mistreatment of prisoners of war.
Former president Abraham Lincoln suspended habeas corpus during his presidency in the 1800s.
"This is the president who is generally regarded as the greatest president we ever had," Corrente said.
The debate, held in Atrium 1, marked the 50th anniversary of the RI-Affiliate of the association and was the third, and last, debate of its kind.
Robert Corrente, the U.S. attorney for Rhode Island, and Jerry Elmer, the staff attorney for the Conservation Law Foundation in Rhode Island, debated the rights of Guantanamo Bay prisoners to habeas corpus, which is defined as a prisoner's right to seek legal relief from detainment.
Corrente and Elmer also addressed the options for future placement of these prisoners in front of an audience of about 30 people.
Corrente began by saying Guantanamo is a U.S. navy base that the United States leases, essentially at a perpetually renewable rate. Corrente said this area was chosen to serve its current purposes because it is a "well-defended, very secure spot" that does not offer any civilian spots for attacks to occur. He said the general public felt those in Guantanamo were "beyond all reach of habeas corpus [and] U.S. jurisdiction."
"You can read the whole U.S. Constitution and nowhere in the Constitution does it say that prisoners have the right to habeas corpus," Corrente said.
According to Corrente, it is important for people to discuss these issues and the United States has much to learn regarding its solutions and improvements surrounding such debates.
"A hundred years from now, anyone who studies constitutional law will realize that this time that we're living through is creating the foundations for the future," Corrente said.
Corrente gave historic examples of the mistreatment of prisoners of war.
Former president Abraham Lincoln suspended habeas corpus during his presidency in the 1800s.
"This is the president who is generally regarded as the greatest president we ever had," Corrente said.
