Chicago Sun Times Editorial - Shine light on conditions at Guantanamo prison
Chicago Sun Times Editorial - Shine light on conditions at Guantanamo prison
Copyright by The Chicago Sun Times
June 13, 2006
Whether or not you agree with President Bush's direction in Iraq, there is no disputing that the American-run prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba has become an international public relations disaster. When our allies, such as Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen -- an ardent supporter of the war in Iraq -- criticize procedures at Guantanamo as violating "the very principle of the rule of law," you know you've got trouble.
The latest international outcry against the American detention center for foreign prisoners was engendered by the suicide of three men, two Saudis and one Yemeni, at Guantanamo on Saturday. The men hung themselves with nooses made of sheets and clothing. The Pentagon said the three included a terrorist recruiter for al-Qaida due to be transferred to another country; an al-Qaida operative with ties to one of its top leaders, and a participant in an Afghan prison uprising where a CIA agent was killed -- not characters likely to gain much sympathy among most Americans.
The Defense Department asserts the suicides were political acts meant to undermine the U.S. war effort. However, the notes left behind by the three prisoners were not released by the military, so Americans can't judge for themselves if, indeed, the suicides were political or acts of desperation, as human rights activists claim. The lack of transparency from military officials and the Bush administration makes it hard for the public to determine the truth about conditions at the prison and the potential danger posed by the inmates.
Guantanamo holds 465 men, only 10 of whom have been charged. At one time more than 700 were incarcerated but some were released and sent home. The rest have been there for 41/2 years.
Explanations about Guantanamo from the White House and the Pentagon are falling on increasingly skeptical ears. The longer things drag out, the more our standing as a humanitarian country comes under criticism from our friends. As Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) told CNN: "Where we have evidence, they [the Guantanamo prisoners] ought to be tried, and if convicted they ought to be sentenced."
The European Union has been agitating for Guantanamo to be closed. Even the British, our staunchest allies, are critical of the prison. President Bush himself has said he would like to close it but that he was waiting for a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the issue. The high court is scheduled to hear the case of Salim Ahmed Hamdan, captured in Afghanistan and held at Guantanamo. He was to be tried before a military commission but filed a petition of habeas corpus, demanding a right to a trial before a federal court. Granted, tough legal issues are involved, but Bush needs to pull back the curtain on Guantanamo to allow for transparency, not only for the sake of diplomatic relations with our allies but also as a confirmation of our core values.
Copyright by The Chicago Sun Times
June 13, 2006
Whether or not you agree with President Bush's direction in Iraq, there is no disputing that the American-run prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba has become an international public relations disaster. When our allies, such as Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen -- an ardent supporter of the war in Iraq -- criticize procedures at Guantanamo as violating "the very principle of the rule of law," you know you've got trouble.
The latest international outcry against the American detention center for foreign prisoners was engendered by the suicide of three men, two Saudis and one Yemeni, at Guantanamo on Saturday. The men hung themselves with nooses made of sheets and clothing. The Pentagon said the three included a terrorist recruiter for al-Qaida due to be transferred to another country; an al-Qaida operative with ties to one of its top leaders, and a participant in an Afghan prison uprising where a CIA agent was killed -- not characters likely to gain much sympathy among most Americans.
The Defense Department asserts the suicides were political acts meant to undermine the U.S. war effort. However, the notes left behind by the three prisoners were not released by the military, so Americans can't judge for themselves if, indeed, the suicides were political or acts of desperation, as human rights activists claim. The lack of transparency from military officials and the Bush administration makes it hard for the public to determine the truth about conditions at the prison and the potential danger posed by the inmates.
Guantanamo holds 465 men, only 10 of whom have been charged. At one time more than 700 were incarcerated but some were released and sent home. The rest have been there for 41/2 years.
Explanations about Guantanamo from the White House and the Pentagon are falling on increasingly skeptical ears. The longer things drag out, the more our standing as a humanitarian country comes under criticism from our friends. As Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) told CNN: "Where we have evidence, they [the Guantanamo prisoners] ought to be tried, and if convicted they ought to be sentenced."
The European Union has been agitating for Guantanamo to be closed. Even the British, our staunchest allies, are critical of the prison. President Bush himself has said he would like to close it but that he was waiting for a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the issue. The high court is scheduled to hear the case of Salim Ahmed Hamdan, captured in Afghanistan and held at Guantanamo. He was to be tried before a military commission but filed a petition of habeas corpus, demanding a right to a trial before a federal court. Granted, tough legal issues are involved, but Bush needs to pull back the curtain on Guantanamo to allow for transparency, not only for the sake of diplomatic relations with our allies but also as a confirmation of our core values.
posted by Carlos T Mock at 1:21 PM
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