Obama revives controversial Guantanamo tribunals (Reuters)

[Yahoo!_news]

Reuters - U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday revived the system of Guantanamo military trials for foreign terrorism suspects, angering supporters who said he had broken a promise to end the controversial tribunals set up by the Bush administration.

Obama said the commissions would be restarted as an option for trying prisoners at the U.S. military base in Cuba after undergoing several rule changes, including barring statements obtained using cruel interrogation methods and making it more difficult to use hearsay evidence.

"These reforms will begin to restore the commissions as a legitimate forum for prosecution, while bringing them in line with the rule of law," said Obama, who had opposed the Military Commissions Act enacted during the Bush administration.

"He (the president) is determined to reform the military commissions as an available form, along with the federal courts, for prosecution of detainees at Guantanamo," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters.

Rights groups, who have been long been critical of Washington's treatment of foreign terrorism suspects, starting with the detention center at Guantanamo, rejected the notion that the tribunals could be reformed.

Amnesty International accused Obama, who took office in January, of breaking a major campaign promise.

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