Jan 12 2009
The End of Gitmo
Obama plans to dissolve the prison at Guantanamo Bay within the first week of his first term in office. This is a huge representative gesture to the world. It says that we will no longer allow torture and indefinite imprisonment. The prison itself has become a politically charged symbol of America’s illegal action in the oil wars. Although many people believe that the accused have done wrong, we still need standards if we want to pretend we live in civilized times.
Even the Bush administration has wanted to jump the train back to reality, releasing three detainees in December. They were deemed innocent by a Bush appointed Judge - Richard Leon. They had been accused of plotting to bomb the US Embassy in Sarajevo. Two more men were also recommended to be freed by Judge Leon, but they remain imprisoned. They were Algerian men living in and returned to Bosnia. I do wonder why they were arrested in the first place, if they had nothing to do with any plots. Was is specifically because they were Algerian and living in Bosnia?
There are still 200 men with cases pending, and 250 total inmates left at Guantanamo. What will be their fate at the end of January? They will probably come to the States to be tried. After years of being tortured and held without trial, only five men confessed to plotting against Uncle Sam. I wonder what the federal courts will find out when everyone has a chance to have their day in court. I also wonder what people want to hear. Will this be a spring board to go after the leaving administration, or do people want to believe that the detainees are really the evil-doers that they were accused of being during the oil inquisition.
2009-01-12
