Mr. President close Gitmo, the scourge of America
After over 20 years of unjust imprisonment without charge or trial, 11 Yemeni men have been transferred from Guantánamo Bay to Oman, where they will be given a chance to rebuild their lives. Despite being cleared for transfer years ago, these men remained incarcerated due to political and diplomatic barriers. Four of them had previously been subjected to torture in secret CIA “black sites” before arriving at Guantánamo. This latest release marks a significant reduction in the number of detainees, which now stands at 15, the fewest since the prison opened in 2002.Rights groups, including the Center for Constitutional Rights, continue to demand the closure of Guantánamo and the release of the remaining prisoners. Six of the remaining detainees have never been charged with a crime, and three have already been cleared for transfer. The U.S. spends an estimated half a billion dollars annually to maintain the prison and its court system, despite the small number of detainees.
The ongoing existence of Guantánamo highlights the issue of extrajudicial detention. The prison was designed as a place where detainees could be held outside the bounds of U.S. law, without access to courts or legal representation, for the purpose of intelligence gathering. Many prisoners, like Sharqawi Al Hajj, were held for over two decades without charges, subjected to inhumane conditions, and are now being released into uncertain futures.
With only 15 prisoners remaining, President Biden has an opportunity to close this chapter. It is time for the U.S. to end indefinite detention and shut down Guantánamo once and for all.
@POTUS @VP It's time to close Gitmo. 11 Yemeni men, cleared for transfer years ago, have been freed after over 20 years of unjust imprisonment, some subjected to CIA torture. With only 15 detainees left, the U.S. must end indefinite detention and shut down Gitmo once and for all.
