NYT Remonstrated U.S. on Human Rights Restriction

U.S. press criticizes that the U.S. government tries to hold a closed military court for the foreign terrorists for the sake of war on terrorism, elevating controversies on this matter.

The New York Times poignantly criticized the Bush administration in its exceptionally long editorial `Justice Deformed: War And the Constitution` that it is wrong for the Bush administration to arrest those who suspected to be related to the terrorists and tries to judge them in exclusive military court.

NYT pointed out that "It is never easy to criticize a president in a wartime. It is especially difficult during this war, which began with the killing of thousands of civilians here at home. But if the antiterrorism effort is to be a genuine, Americans must speak up."

After indicating the legal problems of the secret military tribunals, NYT criticized that "The United States, which constantly criticizes other countries for holding covert trials, and for refusing to guarantee political prisoners due process, is breaking faith with its own standards."

NYT analyzed that the ignorance of the U.S citizens is that the human rights restriction are aiming at the foreigners only and emphasized that "this is not the time to start infringing the rights of people whose only relationship with international terrorists may be a shared nationality, religion or ethnic background." And the editorial concluded with the warning, "We will be judged not by how we hold to our values when it is easy, but when it is difficult. The world is watching."

Newsweek reported in the cover story of recent issue (Dec.10), "Justice in the Darkness." 86 percent of the U.S. citizens believe that the restriction of the U.S. government is excessive.

Seeing the past attitudes, the U.S. government is likely to take more radical measures in case of an additional terrorism. Newsweek worries about that "the U.S. citizens might come to worry about their freedom as well as security."

Meanwhile, Washington Post criticized that "it is inappropriate to talk about a next phase of war on terrorism while thousands of U.S. troops are engaged in fierce battles in the war front of Afghanistan." Washington Post pointed out that this war must focus on the urgent security threats to the U.S. and the support groups that supply money and weapons to the terrorist organizations.

Han Ki-Heung eligius@donga.com