WSRCAT Statement on Guantanamo, November 28, 2017
GUANTANAMO NEGATES HUMAN RIGHTS; IT MUST BE CLOSED NOW
This coming January 11th, 2018, will mark the 16th anniversary of opening the notorious Guantanamo Prison for holding prisoners captured in the so-called “the war on terror”. These prisoners were declared “enemy combatants” who would be interrogated outside the protection of law and who would be charged with war crimes. Guantanamo became one of the principal locations where our government tortured prisoners. The numbers of prisoners swelled to almost 800. Today, most of the 41people still held there have never been tried for or even accused of any crime. Guantanamo is not just a place; it is a system of lawlessness—from torture to indefinite detention without trial and a rigged military justice system for the few who will face trial.
For most of the world, Guantanamo spells injustice. It remains a stain on the nation and an open sore on the body of a lawful system of justice. It stands, along with Abu Ghraib, Bagram, and CIA black sites as a symbol of America’s intentional disregard of human rights during the “war on terror.” Too many Americans have become complacent about its continuing operation.
In 2018, there is a new urgency. The president applauds Guantanamo as a symbol of toughness and as an alternative to constitutional due process protections. During the campaign, Trump vowed that he would not close Guantanamo; rather, “We’re going to fill it up!” Recently, in response to the terrorist attack in New York City, Trump threatened to send the accused terrorist to Guantanamo and contrasted “quick justice” and “strong justice” of military detention to the civilian courts, which he called a “joke” and a “laughingstock.” Guantanamo appeals to Trump’s authoritarian impulses and the militarism of his supporters--the rule of law be damned.
Our aim for this January 11th is to draw attention to the continuing human rights travesty and the present danger that Guantanamo represents.
We recognize our moral and political responsibility to educate and to oppose. We refuse to allow Guantanamo’s continued existence to be normalized. Sixteen years of operation and the current neglect in the media do not make it right.
Guantanamo is a mockery of justice and must be closed.