President Obama may pledge to finally close Guantanamo’s doors, but all his words are just an illusion, while prisoners are suffering at the notorious detention facility.
Human rights lawyer David Remes, who represents 17 Guantanamo
detainees has been talking to RT.
RT: President Obama has made numerous promises over the
years to close Guantanamo Bay prison. Is it likely to happen?
David Remes: I don’t see how it can happen under the
current circumstances. For one thing, President Obama keeps
blaming Congress for preventing him from transferring detainees.
As long as he puts responsibility on Congress, it’s unlikely that
he will make major moves. In addition, he’s set up this new
system for releasing Yemenis, whereby they have to go through
another review process, which is likely to take a long time if it
happens at all. So I think what he said sounded good, as usual,
but, once again, it only provides the illusion of movement. The
men face a very bleak circumstance in Guantanamo in terms of
being transferred.
RT: Has the hunger strike involving over a hundred
detainees influenced the pledge to close the facility?
DR: I haven’t talked to anyone yet, I’m going to speak to a
couple of them tomorrow afternoon. But I imagine, based on what
we’ve discussed in the past, that this was all a big snooze to
them. Obama has no credibility down there. The men even say that
they prefer Bush because he released detainees. I think this will
be disregarded or just snorted at with cynicism.
RT: Some inmates from Yemen have already been cleared
for release – but what about those from other countries?
DR: There are about thirty other detainees, from other
countries, who have been approved for transfer. About half of
them can be sent home to their own countries, but about half have
to be re-settled in third countries because of concerns about
torture in their own countries. Ambassador Dan Fried who has been
appointed to place the detainees was on the verge to transfer
these men when Congress stepped in, and that’s basically why his
office was closed. They are the most promising candidates for
transfer, but I don’t really think it’s going to happen very
soon.
RT: In the event of Guantanamo actually closing, is it
likely Washington will use other secret detention centers?
DR: If they are secret, we don’t know about them. I’m not
trying to be flip about it. I also don’t think that the US is
using secret centers — although obviously, if they are secret, I
don’t know for sure. I think they may be handing men over to
countries of origin or we may be just drowning these people
instead of imprisoning them.
This article originally appeared on: RT