Unfortunately, however, the issue hasn't shown up much in the mainstream media. Hopefully that is starting to change. Yesterday, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) had an op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle calling for immediate closure of the Gitmo prison. A few excerpts:
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On July 26, Lt. Col. Stephen E. Abraham testified on Capitol Hill that the Bush administration's legal system at Guantanamo -- used to determine which detainees should be held indefinitely as enemy combatants -- relied on shaky evidence and pressured officers to rush hundreds of hearings.-----
This is profoundly damaging to the United States' reputation around the world.
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The practices described by Abraham would not pass muster in a U.S. District Court, but they appear to be acceptable procedures at Guantanamo. A system that sets a double standard for detainees, holding them indefinitely on flimsy or nonexistent evidence, is inherently unfair and highly suspect. This is damaging, because it goes against America's legal traditions and values, which are a model for the rest of the world.
Such a system does nothing to make America safer. In fact, it makes the world a more dangerous place for Americans, increasing the odds our troops will be denied their rights when captured on foreign battlefields.
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Detainee abuses reported during the early years at Guantanamo are presumably a thing of the past. But the continued operation of this separate system of justice contributes to the sustained erosion of America's international reputation.
You do not have to be a lawyer to see Guantanamo for what it is: An evasion of U.S. and international law.
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Make no mistake: We must track down, prosecute and punish terrorists. But we must never forget we are a nation of laws. This makes us strong, not weak. The Bush administration's failed legal experiment at Guantanamo hurts the United States around the world every day. The time has come to close it down.
>> Read the complete article.
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