President Obama said in Cairo this week that he sought a new beginning in US relations with the Muslim world, and a relationship based on common principles, including "principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings."
Beautiful words, but deeds tend to speak louder and this week one spoke volumes. Just a few days before the president spoke, a US prisoner held for seven years without charge, killed himself rather than endure one more day at the US Detention center in Guantanamo.
Mohammad Ahmed Abdullah Saleh Al-Hanashi, whose death was announced Tuesday, was the fifth prisoner - and the second Yemeni - to die in an apparent suicide at the Guantanamo prison. Not charged with any crime, Saleh was 31 years old. Information is limited, but lawyers who visited in May said Saleh was one of seven being held in a psychiatric ward where he was restrained in a chair and force-fed through a tube the width of a finger. It's an excruciating process. The attorney of another striker described a tube being inserted by one guard while another holds the prisoner's chin and a third holds him back by his hair. "No anesthesia or sedative".
Pentagon medical records show Saleh weighed 124 pounds when he entered Guantanamo. A few years later he was down to just 87 pounds.
How a man in his shape might have managed to kill himself is hard to imagine. Why is far easier.
The vast majority of Yemenis in Guantanamo have never been charged -- and more than a dozen have been cleared for return. But only two have left in the past two years and talks with the Yemeni government are stalled.
Meanwhile, 17 Chinese Uighur Muslims prisoners some of whom the Bush administration cleared for release as early as 2003, continue to languish occupying an iconic place in Gitmo culture. Their release would give hope to the hopeless, say fellow prisoners' attorneys. They should never have been incarcerated. They could be released into the US tomorrow. It's going to take actions like that, Mr. President for those words, “Justice, progress, tolerance, and respect for the dignity of all human beings” on an American president’s tongue might begin the long journey of actually gaining some meaning.
The F Word is a regular commentary by Laura Flanders the host of GRITtv which broadcasts weekdays on satellite TV (Dish Network Ch. 9415 Free Speech TV) on cable, public television and online at GRITtv.org and TheNation.com.
Criticism of closing Guantanamo is ill placed. I do not think we have the right to lock up the detainees, year after year, in a remote place, out of sight out of mind. Life long detention without a trial, seems to be against international law and will probably tarnish our reputation.
Detainees that have to be released should be released to their home countries. This is what the Bush Administration did. One of those released has broken his promise of forswearing violence and has become a top Al Queda operative. This kind of occurrence in Trial / Interrogation does happen once in a while, just like the judicial system. This should not frighten us in prosecuting where possible, and releasing those deemed to be innocent or for the lack of evidence.
I have a question about the status of Guantanamo. What is the legal position of this piece of Cuba? Does US own it for ever, or will it be returned to Cuba some day? In any case there are plenty of dark holes on the planet where US owns – if the idea is to stash these radio active detainees away from humanity. And how about Baghram? Is there any other civilized country that maintains a penal colony on a faraway colonized piece of land?
On the China 17, why don’t we release them to their home country. In fact all of them should be dealt with the same way. Once courts judge them to be not guilty they should go to immigation hold and deported. Only reason I feel the administration is sweating bullets is because they are afraid of US having violated the international law in incarcerating these detainees all these years before releasing them.
It is disconcerting that we do not know nor do we want to find out where did we send the 600 odd detainees released under Bush’s watch. The answer should provide valuable pointers to treat the problem with the 240 odd detainees that remain. In any case a detainee should not be set free on US soil – clarifying this point might ameliorate the concern of the sane citizens. Any freed detainees should be sent home with honor to their home countries.
By doubleaseven on June 4th, 2009 at 8:28 pm