Guantanamo and Human Rights Violations
- Justyna Michalak
- Feb 28, 2021
- 2 min read
Originally posted: 21st January 2021
Guantanamo Bay detention center is a US military prison located in Cuba. It was established in 2002 during the George W. Bush administration as one of the steps of ‘the War on Terror’ (US campaign launched after the September 11 attacks in 2001). The detention facility is one of the most tragic examples of the US violating human rights.
In January 2021, Amnesty International published a 54-pages long document titled ‘USA: Right the Wrong’ detailing human rights violations in Guantanamo Bay detention camp. It is argued that detainees were subjected to unlawful government conduct over the years, some of them include: incommunicado interrogations (without access to attorney, family members, physician, etc.); secret transfers; torture; force feeding of hunger strikes; enforced disappearances; unfair trial. Currently there are 40 detainees from 13 different countries there (the range of age being from 38 to 73 years old). 2 of them are being held there from day one of the existence of this facility and 15 of them since its first year. The last detainee arrived at Guantanamo in 2008.
The document describes a story of Mohammad al-Qahtani, a Saudi citizen who had been diagnosed with psychological disabilities long time before being brought to the detention center. The illness was ignored and the detainee is being held in Guantanamo for all but one months of it working. Tortures that he has experienced led him to developing PTSD and deep distrust in medical personnel. The story of Mohammad al-Qahtani is only one of many similar ones...
Amnesty International advocates closing the facility at Guantanamo bay. The detainees should either be released, or prosecuted fairly with accordance to international criminal law. Perpetrators of tortures on the detainees should be prosecuted under treaties to which the US is party, such as the UN Convention against torture. It is important to realize that these recommendations are unfortunately being ignored. Although Barack Obama lowered the amount of inmates from 245 to 41 and promised to close the detention center, he failed to do that. Moreover, in 2018, Donald Trump published an executive order to keep the prison permanently open. Thus, Guantanamo remains a symbol of the US violating basic human rights.
The new presidency of Joe Biden brings some hope for change. In 2009, he said that “we will uphold the rights of those who we bring to justice. And we will close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.” Although he failed to fulfill his promise while being a Vice President for two terms, hopefully, having read the ‘USA: Right the Wrong’ Report, he will realize the gravity and urgency of this problem. It leaves no doubt that he should undertake all necessary measures to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center forever.
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