Lawyers rap US detainee handling

Some lawyers protested that the nonpartisan group, with more than 400,000 members, is getting too political, especially as the presidential election nears.

David Rivkin Jr., a Washington attorney who served in the Reagan and George H.W Bush administrations, told ABA leaders the resolution was poorly worded and ''could be dismissed as grandstanding."

The current Bush administration has aggressively defended its imprisonment of men -- without traditional rights -- whom it classifies as enemy combatants.

Government officials have said that abuses at overseas prisons have been isolated and that those responsible are being punished.

An administration lawyer was sent to Atlanta, but did not speak against the resolution, which had overwhelming support.

During the debate, Washington attorney Mark Agrast said, ''If we want the world to embrace American ideals, we first must live up to those ideals ourselves."

Neal Sonnett, a Miami attorney who helped draft the plan, said, ''I don't think it's the least bit political."

''We used strong language because it's deserved. We need to get the administration's attention and the public's attention."

Prisoners at Abu Ghraib were interrogated for as long as 20 hours at a time, kept hooded and naked, and intimidated with dogs.

Administration officials have said other treatment of prisoners there was unauthorized, such as forcing prisoners to perform sex acts, beating them, and piling them naked in a human pyramid.

The ABA proposal recommends strengthening the federal law against torture, making it easier to prove criminal charges against soldiers and others who engage in torture, and expanding the law to apply to acts committed in the United States, not only those overseas.

Also yesterday, the ABA's policy-making board meeting in Atlanta voted to lobby Congress and states to eliminate mandatory minimum sentences. The laws set minimum prison sentences for many crimes.

The ABA has long opposed mandatory minimums. The latest push follows a study of prison sentences prompted by remarks by Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy a year ago that mandatory minimums are unjust.

The Bush administration opposed that resolution. Associate Attorney General Robert McCallum said during the debate yesterday that ''being tough, fair, and consistent in sentencing is being smart . . . It has reduced crime and saved lives."

Stephen Saltzburg, chairman of a commission named after Kennedy, said prison sentences should be more rational. ''We're not asking anybody to roll back penalties for rapists and murderers," he told ABA leaders, who applauded after the plan was approved during a voice vote.