‘Obama, close Guantanamo, as you promised six years ago’

This video is called Torture -The Guantanamo Guidebook. UK’s Channel 4 “Guantanamo Guidebook” documentary.

From daily The Morning Star in Britain:

‘Obama Must Honour Gitmo Pledge’

Friday 23rd January 2015

HUMAN rights campaigners demanded yesterday that US President Barack Obama live up to his promise to close Guantanamo Bay, six years after he vowed to do so.

An executive order from the White House, signed by the President on January 22 2009, set out plans to close Guantanamo within a year.

But a total of 122 men are still held at the US prison camp without charge or trial today.

Fifty-four of those still detained have been cleared for release, a process involving unanimous agreement by six US federal agencies that a detainee poses no threat to the US.

Among the cleared men is British resident Shaker Aamer, from London, who has been held at the prison without charge or trial for nearly 14 years, despite having been cleared for release by both the Obama and Bush administrations.

Lawyers for Mr Aamer, who has a British wife and four children, the youngest of whom he has never seen, say that he has suffered appalling abuse.

Clive Stafford Smith, Mr Aamer’s lawyer and the director of legal charity Reprieve, said: “Obama must make good on his promise, and close the prison once and for all.”

President Obama and the Republican Congress Are on a Collision Course over Guantanamo: here.

OBAMA REGRETS NOT CLOSING GITMO ON DAY ONE President Obama said if given the chance to do his presidency over, he’d close the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay on his first day in office. [Jennifer Bendery, HuffPost]

The US must return the territory it holds at Guantanamo Bay, Cuban President Raul Castro told a summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States on Wednesday. He also said that Washington must lift the half-century trade embargo on Cuba and compensate his country for damages before the two nations re-establish normal relations: here.

16 thoughts on “‘Obama, close Guantanamo, as you promised six years ago’”

I don’t usually comment on blogs but this blatant lie on Barack screams for rebuttal. Think back to the 112th CongrASS refusing to allow Barack to close Gitmo when they voted NOT to close the prison when he sent the bill to the floor of the House & the Senate never got the chance to vote….remember that? I dislike lies & misinformation of the type this blog post suggest.

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petrel41 on January 23, 2015 at 4:13 pm said:

Hi, the blog post is as reported by British daily The Morning Star, interviewing the lawyers of prisoner, cleared twice for release, Shaker Aamer.

You are right to blame the 112th Congress. However, before that, 2009-2011, there was the 111th Congress, with Democratic Party majorities in both chambers.

Bush started Guantanamo by presidential decree, not on Congressional authority. Why can’t it be closed down the same way?

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- Mr. Militant Negro on January 23, 2015 at 7:25 pm said:
  
  Congress has to approve any closure of Federal prison, Presidential Decree was in time of attack on American soil by terrorist. Can’t legally circumvent CongrASS to close a federal prison. It would be over turned on a Supreme Court challenge.
  
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  - petrel41 on January 23, 2015 at 7:48 pm said:
    
    Hasn’t Congress to approve opening new prisons as well? Bush/Cheney abused the horror and grief about 9/11 for attacking civil liberties in the USA (Patriot Act) and for imprisoning people in Guantanamo and in CIA secret torture prisons all over the world; people of whom the overwhelming majority did not have anything to do with 9/11. And for starting wars against Iraq and Afghanistan, whose governments had nothing to do with 9/11 (not against Saudi Arabia where most hijackers were from). Of the present Guantanamo prisoners, half have been cleared for release; but are not released.
    
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As long as Guantanamo exists how can anyone believe in the existence of American democracy?

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petrel41 on January 23, 2015 at 4:31 pm said:

I would say, the problem is basically not whether the president and members of Congress are Democrats or Republicans, good people or bad people as individuals, etc. Government bureaucracies like Pentagon, CIA, NSA, etc. have dynamics of their own; whoever the electorate votes for. These bureaucracies undermine democracy.

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