By Xinhua,
Washington : The US Supreme Court Thursday ruled that foreign prisoners held in the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba can challenge their detention in a civilian court.
The court ruled that the prisoners held in Guantanamo have rights under the US constitution to challenge their detention before federal judges.
In 2006, President George W. Bush had pushed through the Republican-dominated Congress, a law that took away the rights from terrorism suspects to seek full judicial review of their detention.
The Supreme Court’s decision Thursday, is considered another blow to the Bush administration that has drawn sharp criticism from various quarters for its treatment of prisoners held in the naval base indefinitely without charges.
According to the US Defence Department, there are 275 prisoners, classified as enemy combatants (having links to Al Qaeda and the Taliban), some of whom have been held for more than six years.