Barack Obama will revive the heavily criticised George Bush-era military tribunals for detainees at Guantánamo Bay but will make them fairer, according to US officials.

Obama suspended the tribunals within hours of taking office in January, ordering a review of the military commission system. But he stopped short of abandoning the process altogether.

The military trials will remain frozen for another four months as the administration adjusts the legal system - expected to try fewer than 20 of the 241 detainees at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba.

Officials say the amended system would limit the use of hearsay and ban evidence gained from cruel treatment, including the use of "waterboarding", a form of simulated drowning.

Defendants will be given the opportunity to pick their own lawyers and be provided with more protection if they do not testify. The decision to persist with the tribunals was immediately attacked by critics.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/15/barack-obama-revives-guantanamo-tribunals