Opposition to torture and defending prisoners in Guantanamo Bay is the defining legal battle of modern times, according to Pierce O'Donnell, a leading US lawyer.
Speaking at the inaugural Daniel O'Connell lecture on human rights in the Round Hall of the Four Courts organised by the Bar Council, Mr O'Donnell said Guantanamo Bay, the torture of prisoners of war and the lack of a fair trial for those accused of terrorism was the biggest challenge to the rule of law.
He criticised US president George Bush and vice-president Dick Cheney for justifying their disregard for international law and the US constitution by claiming that the war on terror was not like previous wars.
"Bush, aided and abetted by Dick Cheney, purposefully fashioned a war presidency that sought unchallenged power and rejected congressional and bipartisan support," he said.