Russia, China and Gitmo: A Contrast in Human Rights

Yet in a story that has already been forgotten, the U.S. reaffirmed its commitment to human rights last week in the Hamdan trial. A military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay acquitted Salim Hamdan of one of the two charges against him (a conspiracy charge) and in convicting him of supporting terrorism they gave him less than six years instead of life in prison. The military judge, a Navy captain, then counted time served; Hamdan could thus go free early next year.

The media refused to carry the most obvious point of that story: military tribunals work. These are not show trials; Hamdan beat one charge, and could be out of prison soon. Although the media usually didn't mention anything beyond this man being Osama bin Laden's driver, Hamdan had two surface-to-air missiles in his car trunk that he was transporting across an international border when he was arrested. This fellow may well be a very bad actor.

Yet when freedom's at stake, America errs on the side of liberty and leniency. In Russia or China, Hamdan would either be imprisoned for life (without a trial) or simply executed.

This outcome was not ordered by the Supreme Court. It did not happen in a habeas petition, and was not from a civilian federal judge. This was a military court, set up by Congress pursuant to requests from President Bush in the aftermath of 9/11, held at Gitmo.

Serving as U.S. ambassador for human rights to the United Nations, I traveled to dozens of countries. Russia and China show how much of the world works, with human rights abuses that are either violent and deadly, or subdued but still oppressive. America, by contrast, is the light. Nowhere else in the world will you find a country of such vast power with such formidable warriors where our leaders are willing to fight to protect the innocent, where the government nonetheless shows restraint and a commitment to just treatment even at risk to ourselves.

China and Russia showed Americans how human rights and human lives can be easily discarded by would-be super powers. The actions of these two nations make complaints about Gitmo seem overblown, but don't expect the left to admit it.