Obama challenges Miranda rights

US President Barack Obama

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171511.html

The Obama administration has introduced new interrogation rules that allow investigators to keep terrorism suspects in detention for an extended time without informing them of their Miranda rights.



According to an FBI memo revealed by The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, interrogations are now allowed to be carried out without suspects being notified of their rights in order to “collect valuable and timely intelligence."



The Miranda rights is a legal document that constitutionally obligate US law enforcement officers to read out to all criminal suspects before subjecting them to any interrogations.



Among other things, the document reminds individuals in custody of their right to remain silent and to have an attorney present during the interrogation.



President Barack Obama tried to alter the constitutionally mandated Miranda rights last year but was rebuffed by Congress. This time, Obama plans to effect the change administratively rather than through the legislative process in Congress.



The new policy is the latest in a series of controversial measures Obama has taken to limit the civil rights of American citizens and legal immigrants.



Despite criticizing the Bush administration for rights violations and its treatment of terrorist suspects, Obama has been embracing many of the same policies, in addition to new ones such as restricting the Miranda rights.



Recently, the Obama administration has also instituted official procedures for indefinitely detaining foreign suspects at the notorious Guantanamo Bay prison, barring them from access to any legal representations.