Promoting Transparency on Guantanamo Detainees

Since the start of the Afghan war in 2001, the Guantanamo detention facility in Cuba has been infamous for locking up numerous and sometimes high-profile terrorists captured in Afghanistan. It also houses various criminals and drug syndicates from Cuba and Mexico. It is good to note that the Guantanamo facility is located in Cuba which is one of America’s enemies. It is a big possibly that an attack on the facility may take place and create a significant impact though there hasn’t really any attempt at all.

One of President Obama’s promises during his presidential speech was to shut down the Guantanamo facility. There are many reasons why the facility should be abandoned. One is for diplomatic reason as the US has limited or no jurisdiction at all for Guantanamo Bay. It has also violated the Geneva Convention where the US has declared the prisoners brought in were not prisoners of war but instead belong to a newer category called “enemy combatants”. According to the International community, there’s no such category exist and those prisoners were actually prisoners of war.

Pres. Obama is now nearing his second year in office and the promise of closing Guantanamo is far from becoming a reality. This failure is a direct result of the Republican effort to block funds for the creation of a replacement facility. Another issue has surfaced with regards to the identification of the “Fifth category” or prisoners who are considered very dangerous to release but also hard to prosecute because of inappropriate evidence. The government is seen struggling to create a resolution that will consider closing Guantanamo but also put emphasis on national safety concerns.

The government acknowledges the lack of funding and also policy for the detainees. There hasn’t been any concrete policy with regards to who should be detained indefinitely. It also raises the issue of transparency. Categorizing a particular prisoner unto the “fifth category” should be fully understood by the international community and should also follow international standards. The government itself seems puzzled on how and what are the policies involved for such classification.

One replacement facility being eyes is the detention facility in Illinois. It has the necessary facilities and can still accommodate a handful of detainees. Again the issue boils down to the government introducing the policies involved for such detention. Transparency is key so that the local and international community will be made aware that certain procedures are done legally and correctly. It will also generate the much needed trust and confidence from various sectors of the nation. Pres. Obama should weigh on its options and fulfill his promise.