The steps Obama is taking to shutting down Gitmo appear positive. Time will tell if he carries through on his plan.
Closure of Gitmo does not, however, end the problem of prisoners being held by the US - all without having been put on trial or convicted of any offence.
The NY Times reports in "Afghan Prison Poses Problem in Overhaul of Detainee Policy":
"For months, a national debate has raged over the fate of the 245 detainees at the United States military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
But what may be an equally difficult problem now confronts the Obama administration in the 600 prisoners packed into a cavernous, makeshift prison on the American air base at Bagram in Afghanistan.
Military personnel who know Bagram and Guantánamo describe the Afghan site as tougher and more spartan. The prisoners have fewer privileges and virtually no access to lawyers. The Bush administration never allowed journalists or human rights advocates inside."
Looks like the US still has a critical issue to address if it is be seen as being a nation which values and follows human rights.
Closure of Gitmo does not, however, end the problem of prisoners being held by the US - all without having been put on trial or convicted of any offence.
The NY Times reports in "Afghan Prison Poses Problem in Overhaul of Detainee Policy":
"For months, a national debate has raged over the fate of the 245 detainees at the United States military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
But what may be an equally difficult problem now confronts the Obama administration in the 600 prisoners packed into a cavernous, makeshift prison on the American air base at Bagram in Afghanistan.
Military personnel who know Bagram and Guantánamo describe the Afghan site as tougher and more spartan. The prisoners have fewer privileges and virtually no access to lawyers. The Bush administration never allowed journalists or human rights advocates inside."
Looks like the US still has a critical issue to address if it is be seen as being a nation which values and follows human rights.
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