By DPA,
Washington : US President Barack Obama will continue to use military tribunals to put suspected terrorists on trial, The New York Times reported Friday.
Obama will retain the military commissions first established for terrorism trials by his predecessor, president George W. Bush. But Obama plans to seek congressional approval for an expansion of defendant rights under the tribunal system, the Times reported on its website, citing officials briefed on the Obama plan.
The White House was expected to announce Obama’s tribunal decision later Friday.
Campaigning during the presidential election, which he won in November, Obama had sharply criticised Bush’s tribunal system.
Nine tribunal hearings were postponed when Obama took office in January, and US officials were expected to seek additional delays while the administration seeks to reform the military commission process.