Human Rights Watch writes to President Obama on the eve of the tenth anniversary of the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to urge him to reaffirm his stated commitment to closing Guantanamo by prosecuting detainees in federal court and repatriating and resettling those who will not be prosecuted.

The Obama administration’s decision to prosecute a Somali terrorism suspect apprehended abroad in federal court demonstrates the importance of US civilian courts in countering terrorism. However, Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame should not have been held by the US military for more than two months without basic due process rights.

We write to express our concern over several provisions of the version of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed by the House of Representatives and urge you to take these concerns into account when considering the bill this week. Should the House-approved provisions become part of the NDAA, they will hinder US counterterrorism efforts and erode the ability of the United States to promote the rule of law in other places such as the Middle East.

If there is one thing the operation against Osama bin Laden has shown, it is that the Obama administration does not feel it needs more authority to capture, detain or even kill certain terrorism suspects. Yet, while members of Congress applaud President Obama’s action, legislative proposals greatly expanding this authority are quietly making their way through Congress.