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Closing Guantanamo:

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 8:10 pm
by Kolombo
In an interview in The Washington Post, Susan Crawford, the retired judge who runs the military tribunals at Guantánamo, said that harsh interrogation methods had endangered the life of Mohammed al-Qahtani, a Saudi national accused of planning to take part in the 9/11 attacks. Authorized by then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, they included sustained isolation, nudity and prolonged exposure to the cold. “We tortured Qahtani,” Judge Crawford said, adding that she was therefore unable to prosecute a man who seemed to pose a real threat to the United States.

That is the real nature of Mr. Bush’s grotesque legacy: abuse and torture at an outlaw prison where hundreds of men — many of whom did nothing — have been held for years without real evidence or charges. And truly dangerous men were treated so badly that it may be impossible to bring them to justice.

It will be hard enough to close down Guantánamo as Barack Obama has vowed to do, but the legal burdens Mr. Bush is dumping on his successor are much greater.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/18/opini ... .html?_r=1


Can Obama close this little sh!thole like he promised?

Re: Closing Guantanamo:

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 8:18 pm
by FAH1223
Closing is not the problem, that should be done soon IMO

the complicated stuff they keep talking about is how do they try these guys and they also have this BS of "security risks" if sent back to their home countries

Re: Closing Guantanamo:

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 8:25 pm
by Kolombo
Mr. Obama’s lawyers will have to review every file, most of which the Bush administration has refused to turn over to any authority, including Congress. We know from bitter experience that the Bush administration’s judgment is worthless when it comes to what these prisoners may have done, how they have been treated and what justice they should face.
That's going to cause a major headache for the new adminstration. He's already scheduled to start the process going by tomorrow.
An executive order to close the facility could have an immediate effect on ongoing cases. Sources have said Obama is expected to issue an executive order in the first days of his presidency, though Obama has acknowledged that it would take time to implement any such order.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/01/20/gitmo.hearings/

Re: Closing Guantanamo:

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 9:19 pm
by RebelLion
Does closing Guantanamo change anything? The US has plenty of secret prisons in eastern europe and other places.

Re: Closing Guantanamo:

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 9:39 pm
by Sagaashan
aniga i dont care whether it is closed or not, but that the conditions are improved. their are innocent people mistaken for others that are being tortured and water boarded. give em justice or freedom.

Re: Closing Guantanamo:

Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 7:15 am
by eyes-only
I've heard that he won't be able to close it down within the first 100 days. I just hope they'll put an end to the kangaroo courts they've set up and end the torture if they can't grant the detainees their freedom straightaway.