28, September 2015 Close GITMO
Almost 14 years have elapsed since President George W. Bush
opened the United States camp at Guantánamo Bay in a hasty response to the
September 11 attacks. Most of those interned had nothing to do with terrorism
but were swept up on orders from the White House to demonstrate that progress
was being made in the nebulous ‘war on terror’. The writ of Habeas Corpus and
the Geneva Conventions were suspended and our government engaged in hideous
acts of brutality (renditions, torture, assassinations, . .). No attempt to exercise due process was
attempted. Afghan tribal disputes were settled by convincing the American
military that their enemies were Taliban fighters in exchange for bundles of
money.
Many prisoners were force fed when they went on hunger strike,
with the help of health professions who oversaw much of the abuse, but chose to
remain silent. There is little doubt that the prison has radicalized many of
the Afghan people and has severely tarnished our country’s claim to be a nation
of laws, squandering more than $5.2 billion.
President Obama made closing Guantánamo a major commitment during his first term in
office but his promise remains unfilled.
It is time to release the 53 men cleared for release and
bring charges on the remaining 52 who
have never been charged with a recognizable crime failing which they should be released immediately. Finally, the
prison should be closed and Guantánamo Bay returned to its rightful owner -
Cuba.
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