Boston arrest sparks debate over rights

The arrest of the Boston Marathon bombing suspect has ignited debate over a legal exception that allows police to interrogate individuals without reading them their rights.
The suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev remained in serious condition in a Boston hospital yesterday unable to answer questions on the devastating attack, officials said.
But rights advocates were quick to express concern over possible efforts by President Barack Obama's administration to use a provision waiving the need to inform Tsarnaev of his right to an attorney or to remain silent.
American Civil Liberties Union executive director Anthony Romero called for a narrow read of the "public safety" exception, which is only allowed in cases where there is a "continued threat" to public safety.
"We must not waver from our tried-and-true justice system, even in the most difficult of times," he said in a statement.
"Denial of rights is un-American and will only make it harder to obtain fair convictions."
US Attorney Carmen Ortiz told reporters after Tsarnaev's arrest that the authorities had invoked the public safety exception and delayed reading him his rights, or Miranda warning.
Republican lawmakers have gone a step further, arguing that Tsarnaev, an ethnic Chechen who lived in the United States for a decade, should be declared an "enemy combatant," the same legal status as detainees being held at the Guantanamo military prison.