Prisoners Must Be Accorded Due Process

So President Bush hopes to silence criticism of prisoner treatment by calling captured Taliban soldiers “unlawful combatants” instead of “prisoners of war” (“Officials Agree on Prisoners’ Status,” Jan. 29)? Fat chance. Whatever you call them, they are still human beings and, as such, deserve to be treated humanely.

If Bush wants to silence criticism then he ought to freely let journalists and representatives from Geneva into the camp to see for themselves how prisoners are being treated. Have we forgotten that we’re supposed to be the good guys?

John Sherman

Glendale

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After seeing the drawings of the facilities for prisoners at Camp X-Ray I was struck by our foresight. When we’re finished housing the terrorist suspects these cages can be turned into pens for stray dogs at no additional cost. Way to go!

Nancy Wright

Pasadena

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Do we deny accused criminals within the U.S. due process because we find their crimes particularly despicable? Obviously not; doing so would violate the very principles for which America stands. Yet, the U.S. government is currently denying the Guantanamo detainees due process. The Geneva Convention states that all detainees be considered POWs until determined otherwise by a judge. Failing to take this step is un-American. The Declaration of Independence holds that all men are created equal, not just those lucky enough to be Americans.

Amy Howlett

Los Angeles