Should the US close the military prison on Guantanamo Bay?

Yes

9 of 25

by Sana M.

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In the past few decades, we have witnessed some of the most demoralizing and unethical events, threatening the pride we hold inside ourselves as a civilized people. One of these events occurred in 2002, when Guantanamo Bay opened its doors to "dangerous" suspects of America's "War on Terror." Since then, Guantanamo Bay has operated as a detention centre on Cuban land that is illegally occupied by the United States. The United States has participated in the torture of hundreds of detainees, attempting to hold them outside the law. Though organizations such as Amnesty International and the United Nations have condemned the United States for failing to respect humanity, the injustice continues.

About a hundred years ago, a young and immature Cuban government allowed the United States to occupy land now known as Guantanamo Bay. Tomas Estrada Palma, Cuba's first president, signed a contract in 1903 with American president Theodore Roosevelt, for 2000 gold coins a month in return for allowing the US to inhabit Cuban soil (Shephard, 2008, p. 97). However, thirty years later, the deal was revised and Cuba increased the rent to $4038 a month (Shephard, 2008, p 97). This increase caused both countries to "break the lease" (Shephard, 2008, p. 97). Then, in 1959, Cuba banned the United States from crossing onto Cuban land but the United States refused to conform (Shephard, 2008, p.97). Ever since, the United States has occupied Cuban land for their purposes of illegal detention. Though, Cuba has every right to cast the United States to leave and demand its return, it seems the Cuban government is doing little to honor its rights.

When Guantanamo first opened, the Bush administration wanted to send detainees to a place where they believed that no law was applicable (Lauren, 2006). Not only is this is a complete violation of the rule of law which states that no one can be held outside the law, but it is also a violation of human rights. Guantanamo has been long known for holding detainees without charge and with no hope for a fair trial. These prisoners have no access to their family or lawyers. 460 detainees, whom we know of, from various nationalities are being held in Guantanamo without charge, without evidence and with barely any legal rights. (Lauren, 2006). On a regular basis, detainees are transferred from secret CIA custody to Guantanamo, some of them are minors, children. When international outrage broke out about Guantanamo regarding this issue, Washington stated that "the international conventions do not apply in the case of war," but the United Nations confirmed that under any circumstance, torture cannot be justified (Sharma, 2007). Sadly, the United Nations has little power over what the US has been doing for many years now. It is a disgrace that the U.S. government has cold-heartedly denied many people of legal rights, held them through illegal detention, and violated their human rights. Are these American principals of justice? Is this American morality? Hopefully, newly elected president, Barack Obama can revive what it means to be American.

Guantanamo has also been known to hold hundreds in very cruel, degrading, and inhumane conditions even when they are to be released. These prisoners have been tortured to the extent that they wish to die in any way possible. U.S. agents and CIA officers often use stress positions, sexual humiliation, dogs and many other techniques that result to ill treatment (Shephard, 2008, p. 97). The photograph below shows four naked detainees, being forced to lye next to and on top of each other. These detainees had been punished for not co-operating with the U.S. guards and had been threatened to be raped. This is just one example of the kind of torture detainees at Guantanamo Bay face on a daily basis. Several detainees also spend 22 hours every day in complete isolation, sensory and sleep deprivation (Lauren, 2006). The "submarine technique" is one of many methods of torture in which the prisoner is drowned in water to the point of asphyxia (Lauren, 2006). These torture techniques have a devastating impact on ones psychological and physical well being. Furthermore, in an attempt to gain trust and co-operation, interrogators make the detainees feel hopeless about ever getting out of the detention centre (Shepherd, 2008, p. 172). The detainees are then sent to see a psychologist to calm them down and to prevent any suicidal reactions (Shepherd, 2008, p. 172). Most prisoners are given Prozac, an anti-depressant drug (Shepherd, 2008, p. 172). Some detainees are so desperate that they try to bite their own veins so they can bleed to death (Lauren, 2006). In all, 41 suicides have been reported since the opening of Guantanamo Bay in 2002 (Lauren, 2006). In the past, detainees have gone on protests and strikes to pressure the guards to improve conditions and more respect for detainees and their religion. Many of the detainees went on hunger strikes but the U.S. agents forcefully fed the detainees by inserting tubes into their noses and shaking them down their stomachs (Shephard, 2008, p 172). It is a known fact that almost all the detainees, who have been tortured to such an extent, will never be human' again. Even if they are released, they will live lives that have been permanently destroyed by their horrifying experiences at Guantanamo Bay.

There is no doubt that Guantanamo is an illegal detention centre, no matter how many times Washington denies this horrific fact. Everything from the American occupation of Guantanamo Bay, to the treatment of the prisoners there, is illegal. Hence, Guantanamo should be shut down completely and the land should be returned to Cuba. U.S. authorities should charge all Guantanamo detainees with criminal offences and make sure they go through a fair trial. If this is not possible, all the detainees should be released immediately without any conditions. Secret detentions, renditions, and the disappearance of detainees should also be stopped. The United States has ruined its image through the "war on terror" and continues to do so through Guantanamo Bay. If Guantanamo Bay is not shut down, the United States will selfishly and carelessly continue to fight a war against humanity and morality. President Barack Obama is our only hope.

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