A Sad Anniversary: 6 Years of Guantanamo

Fri11Jan2008

A Sad Anniversary: 6 Years of Guantanamo

Today marks 6 years since the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba opened with the introduction of 778 prisoners, with no names, only numbers.

The administration labeled the men imprisoned at Guantánamo "illegal enemy combatants" who were to be held until the "cessation of hostilities" in the "war on terror" -- in other words, forever.

While there may very well be people imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, the fact remains is that little is known about why the people that are there are there. U.S. citizens and the world at large are just to accept the fact that these guys are dangerous and we are to pay no mind to pesky little concepts like due process, human rights, and international law.

Throughout the last six years, stories and images have leaked out about just how horrifying it is to have a lawless detention center

....prolonged solitary confinement, forced nudity, sexual and religious humiliation, sleep deprivation, the use of extreme heat and cold, and the use of painful stress positions.

A scary fact is that many of those inside Guantanamo weren't captured during military operations in the Middle East, but rather were sold, like slaves, by tribal warlords.

Attempts by the U.S. government to cover it's culo have been laughable at best, including the use of military tribunals -- the Combatant Status Review Tribunals, that allowed detainees to testify but without legal representation.

The demands by activists and much of the world remain the same. Allow those in Guantanamo their due process and shut the detention center down.

Via / Salon.com and AlterNet

Fidel Castro Recieves Human Rights Award (Tuesday, Sep 16 2008)
Another Way to Help Cuban Hurricane Survivors (Saturday, Sep 13 2008)

Maegan la Mala

Feedback (1) | Del.icio.us

Feedback (1) » Share your opinion

1. Ramón ~ Friday, Jan 11 2008 | 20:31H:

Everything that you wrote is worthy of public outrage, PLUS, Guantánamo should be decommissioned and returned to Cuba.
The US doesn't need that naval base to be on Cuban soil; if they need a base in the area let them use their own mainland.
When the Ecuadorean government recently asked the US if it would consider allowing it to have a military base in the US, the US reaction was: "You've got to be kidding!"
The point was well made; it's ludicrous for the US to believe that it has right to establish military bases anywhere that it wants.
Now Guantánamo has a become an offshore base with no possible scrutiny.
The era of defending the Panama Canal with warships is over.

VivirLatino