Senators defy Bush by voting to protect terrorist suspects from abuse

THE Republican-controlled Senate has voted to impose restrictions on how terrorism suspects can be treated, in a rare wartime rebuke to President George Bush.

Defying the White House, senators voted 90-9 to approve an amendment that would ban the use of “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” against anyone in US government custody, regardless of where they were held”.

The amendment was added to a $440 billion (€361bn) military spending bill for the budget year that began on October 1.