“On 11 January 2002, in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the first detainees were transferred to the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Since then, the detention facility there has made the world’s news headlines for the shocking human rights concerns associated with it – including arbitrary detention, secret detention, torture and other ill-treatment, renditions of detaineeds to secret CIA torture prisons all around the world, and unfair trials.
Ten years after this war on terror started, more than 150 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay. The majority are in indefinite detention without charge or trial. Those who have been charged face unfair trial by military commission and some can face the death penalty if convicted. (Most others were found innocent and released after a trial.)
The US government now claims that even those found not guilty can be returned to indefinite detention. The rules of war used to mean that soldiers would be detained until the ‘end of the war’. Now that there is a convenient but never ending WWT World War on Terror, detainees can be held FOREVER, since there will never be an end to the World War on Terror.
There has been essentially no accountability or redress for the human rights violations to which the detainees have been subjected.
Human rights concerns in Guantanamo Bay remain an unfinished story. How long will it be before the US government closes the book on Guantanamo and meets its human rights obligations?”
The Supreme Court ruled four years ago, that the detainees at Guantanamo Bay should have Habeus Corpus rights to a fair trial.
Recently, the 2nd Court Of Appeals has reinterpreted the Supreme Court decision and decided that these detainees really do not have that right and they took the right to a trial away again. After the 2nd DC Court made this decision, only 8% of detainees have won any cases, where before that interpretation, 56% of them won their cases in court, due to lack of evidence, innocence, etc. Now all detainees go into a military tribunal, without a jury and with no right to confront or cross examine their accusers. Everything about this is secret.
President Obama promised to close Guantanamo Bay prison before he was elected. President Bush started this torture prison, which ended up holding many ‘detainees’ turned in by other Iraqis or Afghanis for a $5,000 bounty.
This torture prison is still open for business, and many ‘detainees’ are still there. Many of the detainees were totally innocent, but were turned in due to tribal or personal reasons having nothing to do with terrorism.
The recent decision that none of the detainees have any rights in a court of law that offer justice, serves to only further endanger all American’s rights and freedoms. Why?
When we take away the rights of ‘detainees’ who can be called terrorists for ANY reason, (including being charged by your neighbor who hates you), then all American citizens are now subject to being called ‘terrorists’ just for disagreeing with the political party in power or for personal revenge reasons by anyone.
Once labelled a ‘terrorist’, any US citizen can now be held forever, with no charges, with no proof, with no way to take their case to a jury, open trial or any court of justice. Bottom line, we just kissed the Bill of Rights and the Constitution goodbye, all due to a fear of a few terrorists.
We have set up a situation where a dictator can now take over and punish anyone opposing him/her, by calling them ‘terrorists’. A leader can now make anyone disappear forever into a gulag prison somewhere, just like in the old Communist Soviet Union, just by calling them a ‘terrorist’.
Not only that, but it is also legal to charge, prosecute and put to death any detainee, even if they are tortured for YEARS. Any evidence gathered through torture can now be used in court to convict them. Using torture to gather evidence used to mean that the victim would be freed automatically, but not anymore.
The rules of the new ‘justice’ system prohibit a lawyer from even talking with a ‘detainee’ even if that lawyer has a top secret clearance and has that detainee as a client. How is this justice? Why is the whole process so secret?
For those who have the time, watch the following movie; The Road To Guantanamo
Take action to end detentions at Guantanamo Bay: http://bit.ly/yKjMOD
Guantanamo Bay Detainees Have NO RIGHTS, Even If US Citizens; via A Green Road http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/06/guantanamo-bay-detainees-have-no-rights.html
HUMAN RIGHTS/JUSTICE/PRISONS
What Are Universal Human Rights? via A Green Road http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/05/what-are-universal-human-rights.html
US ranks 5th in Executions With Iraq, China, And Russia; via A Green Road http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/03/us-ranks-5th-in-executions-ahead-of.html
Guantanamo Bay Detainees Have NO RIGHTS, Even If US Citizens; via A Green Road
Trayvon Martin; Brutal Murder, or Justified Defense of Life? via A Green Road http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/03/trayvon-martin-being-used-for-political.html
Prison Mistakes, Prison Reform; via A Green Road
Secret Jury Rights And Ignored Constitutional Duty; via A Green Road http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/04/jury-rights-and-constitutional-duties.html
Hillary Clinton: Women Deserve The Right To Choose; via A Green Road http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/04/hillary-clinton-women-deserve-right-to.html
Every Person Has Needs; From Survival To Transcendence; via A Green Road http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/05/every-person-has-set-of-needs.html
Gay Marriage; Human Rights or Church Dogma? Conservative Ted Olsen Weighs In; Via A Green Road http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/05/gay-marriage-human-rights-or-church.html
How To Prevent Any New Nuclear Power Plants From Being Built, Switch To 100% Renewables; via A Green Road http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/05/how-to-prevent-any-new-nuclear-power.html
AGR Free Press 