JOHANNESBURG – Last week, the United States Supreme Court ruled that detainees at Guantánamo Bay have the right to habeas corpus – the right to challenge the factual and legal basis of their detention in a court of law. I was elated by the decision, having spent four years working on ensuring the rule of law in US detention and interrogation policy, including monitoring military commission trials at Guantánamo Bay. But my happiness is tempered by where I sit, close to the border with Zimbabwe – a country where the writ of habeas corpus and the rule of law have become obsolete.
约翰内斯堡&#45;&#45;美国最高法院上周裁决，关塔纳摩湾的被拘押人员具有人身保护权，也就是他们有权在法院对其关押的事实和法律基础提出质疑。听到这一消息我兴奋不已。我在过去四年时间里一直奔波，为的是确保美国的关押和审讯政策符合法治，包括监督关塔纳摩湾的军事审判。但是，我现在身处津巴布韦边境，兴奋大为减少，因为这一国家的人身保护法令和法治遭到了践踏。