I urge you to cosponsor and pass the “Habeas Corpus Restoration Act
of 2007,” S. 185 / H.R. 1416. Habeas corpus has been the bedrock of the US
justice system for centuries, and is one of the most critical protections
against arbitrary detention and other human rights abuses.
In the fall of 2006, Congress passed “The Military Commissions Act”
(MCA), which included a provision stripping certain detainees in U.S.
custody of this fundamental right. Without habeas rights, detainees languish
for years in Guantanamo without charge, and are denied the opportunity to
challenge the lawfulness of their detention. Without habeas rights, detainees
face unfair trials, and can not challenge the validity of those tribunals in an
independent court. Without habeas rights, the government can imprison
people indefinitely without charge or fair hearings, no matter how inhumane
detainment conditions may be.
Just recently, a federal court dismissed dozens of habeas cases, stating
that under the Military Commissions Act federal courts no longer had
jurisdiction. The Military Commissions Act not only contravenes U.S. and
international law; it also undermines the America I believe in, which has
enshrined freedom from arbitrary detention in the Bill of Rights.
Congress has an important opportunity to support the fundamental
right of Habeus Corpus by repealing the Military Commissions Act. I ask
that you take immediate action in support of the “Habeas Corpus Restoration
Act of 2007”, and prove to the world that America believes in liberty and
justice for all.