Gitmo's unhappy anniversary

Five years ago today, the U.S. began detaining terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay.

The Bush administration chose Guantanamo as the location for this detention facility in an attempt to hold detainees beyond the reach of U.S. and international law. For five years, the vast majority of these men have been held in indefinite detention, without charge or trial. For five years, we have heard stories of torture and ill-treatment. And for five years, we have been assured that these detainees were captured "on the battlefield" and represent the "worst of the worst".

Yet the U.S. government's own tribunals have determined that over half of those detained never committed any hostile acts against the United States. And most of those held at Guantanamo were not captured on any battlefield, but were handed over to the U.S. by others in exchange for cash rewards. Undoubtedly, this practice of paying bounties for prisoners has led to mistakes; yet for five years the U.S. government has denied that these men have the basic right to challenge their detentions.

The past five years have been a degrading experience, both for Guantanamo Bay detainees and for the United States. It is time for the U.S. government to end this unhealthy attachment to Guantanamo Bay. We should close Guantanamo, and either charge and fairly try the detainees, or release them. Five years of lawlessness is too long.