THE DAILY BLADE: Guantánamo Bay Detainees Treated Humanely: Report
A review of conditions at the
The request, made as part of a plan to close the center within a year, was widely seen as an effort by the new administration to defuse the power of allegations during the Bush administration that there were widespread abuses at Guantánamo, and that many detainees were suffering severe psychological effects after years of isolation.
The review, conducted by Adm. Patrick M. Walsh, the vice chief of naval operations, describes a series of steps that could be taken to allow detainees to speak to one another more often and to engage in group activities, the government officials said. For years, critics of the prison have said that many detainees spend as many as 23 hours a day within the confines of cement cells and were only permitted recreation alone in fenced-off outdoor pens. …
The review included some of the most contentious issues, including the forced feeding of hunger-striking detainees and claims that a large number of the prisoners are suffering from psychosis as a result of conditions in the detention center. …
One Pentagon official, speaking anonymously because no one had been authorized to discuss the report publicly, said it showed that the Bush administration created a humane detention camp that has been unfairly characterized by critics. Speaking of the remaining 245 detainees there, this official said the report underscored that if the men are moved, they may “go from a humane environment to a less humane environment.”
While Obama needed reassurance that Gitmo is not a hellhole, Lorraine Arias-Beliveau - whose youngest brother Adam Arias was killed in Tower 2 of the
I saw a place where prisoners toy with the authorities, read the newspaper and get one hour breaks for prayer. I saw a place where detainees are treated far better than many ordinary American criminal defendants - and, as far as I'm concerned, far better than they deserve. …
I left with a deep fear that some day the men we now hold in custody will be free to inspire others who hate - if not to continue to kill innocent people themselves. …
The proceedings began at 9 a.m. on a Monday morning, in a state of the art courtroom. My brothers and I sat behind glass, a curtain separating us from the press. …
What we then saw unfold was less of a trial than a farce. Mohammed dismissed his council - only to call them back. …
Before long, the scene was overwhelmed by a steady stream of what sounded to me like legal minutiae and trivialities. It was sickening. It was surreal.
I will never forget what interrupted that: Khalid Shaikh Mohammed's defense declaring to the court that their client was requesting a cushion because his seat in the van had been too hard. A debate unfolded: the prosecution claimed the cushion had already been provided; the defense insisted he had not received one.
The 25 Best Conservative Films
Check out this list of the 25 best conservative films released in the past 25 years put together by the editors of National Review, culled from hundreds of readers’ nominations: “Conservatives enjoy these films because they are great movies that offer compelling messages about freedom, families, patriotism, traditions.” Instead of wasting hours watching the Academy Awards this Sunday, rent and enjoy one or two of the films you haven’t seen yet.
[Hat Tip: The Heel, an Ivy-educated attorney with a prestigious
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