[media-credit name=’BEN CLASSON/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]Several University of Wisconsin activists protested a military act Wednesday that allows the U.S. executive branch to imprison "unlawful enemy combatants" without a court hearing. The Military Commissions Act signed in 2006 denies any individuals designated "unlawful enemy combatants" habeas corpus rights — which place the burden of proof on those detaining a person to justify the detention — and access to evidence held against them. The president of the United States can then determine which methods of torture are humane, and allow the use of evidence obtained through torture. Wednesday’s protest was scheduled on the same date the act was passed one year ago. Members of UW’s Amnesty International branch, a group that promotes human rights, gave speeches, signed petitions and visually demonstrated their opposition to the MCA in Library Mall. The group was joined by other UW student organizations like In Your Hands and the Muslim Students Association. "[President Bush] could designate any of us as enemy combatants — all he has to do is say the word and we’re in jail," said Matthew Rothschild, Progressive Magazine editor. "We could be in jail for the rest of our lives and would never see a court or talk to a lawyer." Amnesty International invited Rothschild to speak about his book "You Have No Rights," a series of stories on the decline of American civil liberties since Sept. 11, 2001. Rothschild also spoke at the Wisconsin Book Fair. "This isn’t the America we learned about in first grade," Rothschild said. "We don’t have three branches of government anymore. The other two were sawed off. Bush and Cheney run this country and that’s it." But State Rep. Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford, said the government has the right to protect national security, and do "everything to protect and defend ourselves against terrorism." "These are terrorists who want to do harm to our nation," Suder said. "We have to take precautions. We can’t let down our guard under auspices of individual liberties." Four Amnesty International members wore bright orange work suits, similar to those worn by the prisoners of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Their mouths were duct-taped shut. The group made a jail cell, and one "prisoner" stood in it while others recited names of all Guantánamo detainees. "This is getting attention and giving a good visual," said Abby Schmidmayr, Amnesty International state coordinator. "This allows for focus on an area the media doesn’t pay attention to." Protesters also taped Guantánamo prisoners’ names on their jumpsuits to recognize their individuality as people. UW senior Ellie Burnett’s jumpsuit displayed "Omar Deghayes" as she held a sign reading, "How would you feel if your name caused international security alerts?" Some read pieces from Marc Falkoff’s collection, "Poems from Guantánamo." One of the poems, not published in the collection, was obtained by Amnesty International from detainee Mohamed el Gharami’s lawyer. "A few Amnesty branches are paired up with a Guantánamo detainee," said UW sophomore and Amnesty International student coordinator Sam Philipsek. "We write him letters like ‘hang in there,’ but it’s also very hard for him to actually get them." UW’s Amnesty International Branch is paired with Gharami, and collected over 200 signatures in his name. "Actions speak louder than words," UW senior Sarrah Abulughod said. "How would we feel if our citizens were in another country and tortured without a cause?" According to UW junior Kara Bresnahan, one of three Amnesty International student coordinators, the group started planning more than a month ago. "People must be exposed to this issue, and I feel like we’ve accomplished that goal," said UW graduate student Maha Hilal, chairperson of In Your Hands. "Most people should be shocked when they learn how our government takes rights away from others. I hope that it does bring them to action."