New York - The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Thursday welcomed the US Supreme Court's ruling that detainees at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have the right to challenge their detention in US federal courts. Louise Arbour, a former Canadian Supreme Court justice, said the decision sent a "vitally important message" that fundamental human rights guarantees are extended to detainees suspected of terrorist activities by the United States.
"I welcome the court's recognition that security and liberty are not trade-offs, but can be reconciled through the framework of the law, and that it is the courts that apply that law," she said. "This has long been the hallmark of American constitutionalism."
Arbour said she submitted a brief to the US Supreme Court on the case, arguing for the detainees' rights.
