Amnesty Blasts "Show" Gitmo Trials

"After more than five years of holding hundreds of prisoners in a virtual legal vacuum the US authorities are now adding insult to injury by pressing ahead with grossly unfair trials," said Kate Allen, Amnesty's United Kingdom director.

Launching its report, "Justice delayed and justice denied?", the London-based human rights group insisted that the US military trials do not meet international standards of fairness.

"Military commissions are a complete travesty of justice -- no more, no less," Allen insisted.

"The military commissions will be convened following a trail of illegality, with those to be tried arbitrarily detained and ill-treated for years."

The 116-page report highlighted the limited right of appeal and the risk of so-called "enemy combatants" being returned to indefinite custody even if acquitted.

It said likely defendants were victims of secret detention, secret transfers from country to country, torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

"We want to see the US government abandon these shabby show trials and transfer Guantanamo cases to proper civilian federal courts on the US mainland."

The US is preparing to resume military tribunals on Monday with Australian Guantanamo detainee David Hicks, a 31-year-old Muslim convert who faces charges of "providing material support for terrorism."

Unlike the military commissions that hear war crimes charges, the US combatant status tribunals offer minimal procedural protection and are not recognizably judicial.

Instead of having access to a lawyer, "enemy combatants" are represented at the hearings by a military officer.

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