Guantanamo Bay is US territory. Does not all law apply and therefore the right to a defense. From all that I have read, this basic right has been denied the population as a whole. It appears to be (if one reads and accepts the press coverage - personally I prefer the underground news I receive) somewhat of a torture chamber where there is no applicable law. If what is going on at Guantanamo, which in effect is US soil, was happening in say New York - I believe with all of my being that the streets of Washington would be stormed with people night and day for miles on end, to demand the rights to a speedy and fair hearing.

We are so quick to condemn the ruler of that country where Guantanamo is located, Mr. Castro (and now his brother Raoul), for his in-humane treatment of the citizens. Is this not a case of the, "pot calling the kettle black?" We point an accusatory finger at Castro, and yet we (by we I mean North Americans) are following suit and doing the same thing.

I've spent a lot of time on the soil of Cuba and I've seen and heard from the mouths of the citizens what has gone on in the past, and what continues. I have even had the "privilege" of visiting one of their "jails," and it was a "hell hole on earth."

I've not been to Guantanamo, but if even half of the atrocities reported are true, then the USA is breaking it's own laws. It becomes a case of "do as I say....not as I do."

And, even if we fore-go the right to defense, what about the tales we hear of torture and lack of basic hygiene and health treatment? Again, if even half of what the press is reporting is true, it would seem to me we are treating human beings with less humanity then we would treat a stray dog who wondered onto our property.

Thus far, I've not heard of any of my Canadian brothers being arrested as suspects, but I wonder if anyone knows if there is a "legitimate" checklist or criteria for these incarcerations, or has the US government become a "god unto itself" with powers that "no man can or dare question?" Do we have a case of totalitarian government ruling on the US soil in Cuba, and if we do, what makes us think that they won't turn around and do the same thing on US mainland, like New York or Connecticut or Texas?

If we allow this "bad apple" to continue to fester, to go unchecked, the poison and disease will become palatable to all and soon infect all American soil. My fear, of course, is that it will the seep across the border to my homeland Canada.

No, I am not impressed; not impressed at all. This has gone on for far too long and it is my honest belief that we don't know the half of the atrocities that are, even as I write, taking place in Guantanamo Bay.

Learn more about this author, Shammah.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Assessing the rights of Guantanamo Bay detainees?
We want to hear your view. Write now!