US President George W Bush issued an executive order Friday reaffirming that detainees captured in the war on terrorism are "enemy combatants" and are not eligible for protection under the Geneva Conventions, according to dpa. Bush upheld a determination he made in 2002 for detainees in the custody of the CIA or military authorities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where more than 300 suspects have been held indefinitely. Bush also stated that all detainees in US custody cannot be subjected to "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" as is the case with prisoners of war under the Geneva accords. Civil rights advocates have urged Bush to classify the detainees as prisoners and war and declare them under the jurisdiction of the Geneva Conventions. The Pentagon has rejected accusations that detainnees at Guantanamo have been subjected to torture. However, 11 US soldiers have been convicted in connection to the abuse and humiliation of prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Photos of the abuse emerged in 2004, sparking international outrage and badly damaging the image of the US military. Bush's determination applies to members of al-Qaeda, the Taliban and associated forces. It bans the use of torture during interrogations, intentionally causing bodily injury, sexual abuse or indecent acts and the denigration of an individual's religion or religious objects.
