Under the Bush Administration, beginning with the election of President Bush in 2000 and running until early 2009, Guantanamo Bay was filled with suspected 9/11 terrorists from the Taliban and al Qaeda due to the relatively recent outbreak of the war on terror. Large steps were taken by the Bush Administration toward near guarantees of containing those responsible for the War, which can be summed up in a human rights article by Martin Flaherty, “[…] the Bush Administration adopted what it asserted were three ‘necessary and appropriate’ means that would serve as principal ways to pursue the ‘Global War on Terror,’” (36). These three means were indefinite detention, harsh interrogation methods, and military trials. Focusing on military trials, …show more content…
By including this vision of closing Guantanamo as a part of his presidential campaign, Obama gained great support from the public. Once elected, Obama acted on his promise to close Guantanamo on his second day as President, shown by Scott Horton in his article on Guantanamo, “He (Obama) created an inter-agency task force to advise him on the specifics of this process and to create future guidelines for the detention of terrorism suspects captured abroad,” (1). The overall shift in opinion on Guantanamo in both citizens and high-up leaders of the country, however, was a result of many factors occurring around the time of Obama’s election. First, while Guantanamo processes and descriptions were long held from the public under war time confidentiality, more information leaked out as the war settled down, including a basic description of Camp X-ray, which was, “consisting of small cages with chain-link sides, concrete floors and metal roofs, offering scant shelter from the elements, and with very basic sanitary facilities,” (Living Conditions). Methods of torture also became more nationally known, reinforcing the shifting opinion against Guantanamo. Finally, one of the largest reasons for Obama’s push to close Guantanamo was due to the lack of empirical evidence proving detainees guilty (Horton 12). Holding these
Did you know, as American taxpayers, maintaining the prison at Guantánamo has costed $4.8 billion since it had opened in 2002? Well this al back to “ The Global War on Terror” under the Bush administration that,. response to the 9/11 attacks, targeted middle eastern regions of the world;, collecting men from left to right by heavily armed American soldiers. Unfortunately, some of them are destined to pay for another man’s crime by serving time in Guantanamo Bay. Guantanamo Bay, located within a naval base in Cuba, became a facility purposed to hold alleged enemy combatants and terrorists alike. Because of later documented injustices reported against detainees, it gained negative spotlight by both citizens and world leaders. When Obama succeeded in presidency, closing the facility became one of his priorities for a number of reasons.
Every person has the right to undergo a judicial hearing to avoid illegal detention. However, if that person poses threat to the society and the state, there are instances that the said right is overseen where these types of people are quickly detained after capturing. The writ of Habeas Corpus gives the rights to the captured people to undergo judicial trial. But there is also an article in the U.S. Constitution that states that the writ of Habeas Corpus can only be lifted if the people being questioned in involved in a rebellion or pose a threat to the safety of the public. That is why the administration of the previous U.S. President Bush detained all of the people whom they tagged as terrorist and were captured in the war on Afghanistan in 2001. The question now is to what extend must be the actions of an individual in order to undergo proper trial hearing or to just be put in imprisonment without any hearings or trials done? The purpose of this paper is to review issues within Habeas Corpus and GITMO, discuss how policies changing over time affect the dynamic state of United States, and how these changes can make a big impact to the future law making and practice of the country that is why this issue must be evaluated and examined.
Some people believe the best way to ensure protection against terrorist is to keep this facility opened. Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp is a United States prison located in Cuba.780 people captured in the war on terror 220 of them are from Afghanistan and smaller
The 2001 terrorists attacks mark first attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. Following the attacks, the United States vowed to destroy al-Queda. Soon after, the United States would establish Military Commissions to prosecute suspected terrorists. As the Military Commissions have evolved, legal scholars and critics of military practices have challenged the constitutionality of the Military Commissions since the beginning of the war. Those who participated in the terrorist attacks have been detained and some are still awaiting trial. The day following his swearing in, President Obama honored his vow to close Guantanamo Bay as his first order of business. He drafted E. O 13492, which would close the detention center indefinitely.
Guantanamo Bay prison camp is a United States military Prison in cuba in which we keep our most lethal and dangerous terrorist at. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said “ the prison camp was established to detain extraordinarily dangerous people to interrogate detainees in an optimal setting and to prosecute detainees for war” (Rumsfeld, 2002). Also this topic is one of the most where the president of the United States and congress disagree on. The President want to close Guantanamo Bay because he think the prison is unnecessary and expensive and it serve a recruitment tool to American terrorist but congress still isn’t and still won't let him. Congress said the main reason why they don’t want
President Obama in 2009 showcased an executive order to close Guantanamo bay. He states in section three of this transcript that “The detention facilities at Guantánamo for individuals covered by this order shall be closed as soon as practicable, and no later than 1 year from the date of this order.” (Obama, 2009) This meant that people who should not be there or they should be prosecuted somewhere else would leave the compound within a year. With the benefit of hindsight this did not happen like he wanted it too.
The Guantanamo Bay seems to be a very interesting but historical place. For years it has changed and became what it is today. It is used as a military base, and it's one of the oldest ones. The base has been open since 1903 and was used as multiple things throughout the years. Guantanamo bay is the oldest historical military base located in Cuba.
Guantanamo Bay opened in 2002 and since then more than 700 detainees have been held there. In 1991, approximately 34,000 Haitian refugees are detained on the base after they flee a coup in Haiti. In 1994-1995, more than 55,000 Cubans and Haitians, captured at sea, are kept at Guantanamo. These are not considered detainees because they are not American prisoners, but Cuban. At its peak in 2003, Guantanamo held nearly 680 detainees, and there were about 245 when President Obama took office. The life standards at Guantanamo are the worst in human history. Murat Kurnaz spent five years in Guantanamo and below are some facts from his book. When he was
Alcatraz Island, located off the coast of San Francisco, California, is the home of the first lighthouse, the first United States fort in the Pacific Ocean, and above all home to the infamous Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. Alcatraz prison housed some of the most dangerous criminals in American history. Such inmates include Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly and Robert Stroud. Since it’s closing in 1963, Alcatraz has attracted much attention as people wondered about the mysteries that lie on the island. Today, the public can take an interactive tour and get a hands-on experience of what life was like on “the rock.”
In the Bush administration, there have been detainees at Guantanamo Bay that have been released either from lack of evidence against them or have been deemed safe to return back to their home country In some cases, this has been a big mistake for America because these men have gone back to their prior terrorist activities after being released from Guantanamo Bay.Jack Spencer says,“Many detainees released from Guantanamo Bay returned to their home countries only to resume terrorist attacks against citizens.” This is a huge problem because many detainees are not learning from their timed served at the prison and are returning to their old selves. David Martosko supports this fact in his article; More Guantanamo Bay prisoners 'confirmed of reengaging' in terror after release, when it says, “More than 20 per cent of the Guantanamo detainees released by order of the former president are once again considered enemy combatants in the war on terror.” (Martosko). The author goes into more detail regarding the Guantanamo Bay prisoners when he says, “Since releases began under President George W. Bush, 116 men held in the facility famous for interrogations and orange jumpsuits have been 'confirmed of reengaging' in hostilities, according to ODNI.” Obviously, if these prisoners were
“Guantanamo Bay detention center is an international embarrassment to our nation, and to our ideals. To this day, Guantanamo Bay is a legal black hole; a place where United States policy does not adhere to the rule of law”-Senator Patrick Leahy. The Supreme Court has ruled on several occasions that the Bush Administration acted unlawfully in Guantanamo Bay, yet no action was pursued against these individuals. We cannot forget that the Bush Administration stripped detainees of basic rights that are given to any individual on American soil. This is why we must enact a Truth Commission to investigate the actions of the Bush Administration in Guantanamo Bay; as there is reason to believe that far more violations took place in Guantanamo Bay then we currently know of. This Truth Commission will not look to press legal charges on any individual, but merely seek answers. I believe that the
Guantanamo Bay a prison for terrorist located in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in the United States Navy base. It has been open for hundred and thirteen years as a naval base since 1903 after the Spanish-American war. While the detention camp came into being in 2002 as a result of the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States. There are two sides to argument those that wants it closed and those that want it to remain open to house the terrorist or enemy combatants that belong to no nation that will claim them, but some nations may or may not support them. I am going to talk about some of the points brought up in the CQ researcher article I read written by Patrick Marshall, gathered from a multitude of sources.
Guantanamo Bay, though started with good intentions, only highlights America’s negative side. Marine Major General Michael Lehnert, who played a significant role in the opening of Guantanamo, has drastically changed his opinion and said that it, “Validates every negative perception of the U.S.” (Sutton 1). One example of this occurred in 2006, when President Bush justified the use of “physical coercion” (torture) during interrogations (Fetini 1). Some of these torture methods include isolation, beatings, sleep deprivation, and general abuse. Other tactics such as disrespect for Islamic symbols or sexual provocation are used to encourage stress in detainees (Bloche 1). These immoral methods led to an international outcry. It was later remarked that the Cuban territory upon which Guantanamo is located is being used as a “concentration camp” of sorts (Fetini 1). Guantanamo and its unethical values are being recognized by nations around the world, displaying America in a bad light.
The Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility is in southeastern Cuba, on the coast of Guantanamo Bay. The base opened in 1903 and covers 45 square miles. The base houses detainees in the war on terror since the September 11 attacks and ensuing military operations in Afghanistan. There are 41 detainees there as of January 2018 (Guantanamo Bay naval, 2018). Some issues to consider when analyzing whether to keep Guantanamo Bay open are the valuable intelligence learned from interrogating the detainees and the remote location of the facility. Several other topics to consider are the cost of running the facility and the legitimacy of the interrogation tactics.
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is originally a naval base that was once used to house detention facilities for Haitian and Cuban refugees fleeing to the United States. It was also used as a refueling station for Navy ships. It was then converted into a high level detention facility to house enemy troops captured in the War on Terror campaign by Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfield. It has three main camps that house the prisoners. These prisoners of war were later referred to as enemy combatants. They were excluded from the prisoner of war statutes of the Geneva Convention because of their involvement in a foreign terrorist organization and therefore earning themselves the title of terrorists. The Guantanamo Bay Detention Center served as the perfect location to send these terrorists. It allowed the United States to strip them of any due process or protection that is provided by US law. Due to its location, being in foreign territory they are only subjected to military law. They are close enough for them to be monitored without interference of intentional agencies or international oversight. Furthermore, the US Government is holding these men without due process because they are deemed too dangerous to be released into the public because of their associations with terrorist organizations and possession of valuable information relating to National Security such as location of key members of a terrorist groups, whereabouts. However, the United States cannot release those