The US State Department is expected on Monday to announce the appointment of a new lawyer to oversee the closure of the infamous Guantanamo Bay prison.
Cliff Sloan, a Washington lawyer, will take on the post,
according to sources familiar with the decision.
Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters that Sloan possessed
“the intellect and skill as a negotiator respected across
party lines,” adding “Cliff and I share the president’s
conviction that Guantanamo’s continued operation isn’t in our
security interests.”
Sloan has previously served with all three branches of the
government and worked on cases in both state and federal courts.
The Guantanamo prison was set up during the Bush administration
to try suspected Al Qaeda members and other terrorists. But it
turned into a prolonged affair, with evidence on inmates often
lacking and the methods chosen for interrogation coming under
fire from human rights advocates around the world, who often
called them “torture.”
Lawyers weren’t given access to their clients, just as UN
inspectors could not adequately make an assessment when they
weren’t allowed to talk to inmates of their choosing
individually. On top of this, the US would sometimes release
pictures to show just how well the prisoners had it, but that
always contrasted sharply with the testimonies of ex-prisoners
and the health condition of current ones, many of whom spend 22
out of 24 hours in solitary confinement.
Despite having lost favor both with members of the public and the
government, the prison remains open. The administration of
President Barack Obama has been promising to close it since his
presidential victory in 2008, but has often said that Congress
stands in its way.
Attorney David Remes, who represents 17 Gitmo detainees, spoke to
RT more than a month ago, sharing his predictions and arguing
that Obama offered the “same empty promises” everyone
heard before.
“He continues to defend indefinite detention, he is going to
appoint an envoy who has no power to do anything beyond what
Obama allows him to do, and he keeps blaming Congress for the
problem when he has the authority to transfer men,” Remes
told RT. “My fear is that people will conclude, from listening
to this speech, that there is forward motion, that the problem is
solved, Guantanamo is closed, and everybody can go on to other
things.”
The uncertain nature of the prisoners’ futures after a decade of
detention (often without charge or evidence) has driven them to
desperate measures with a collective hunger strike, now involving
104 out of 166 prisoners. This has led to the harrowing ordeal of
force-feeding — something that was later discovered to be a very
temporary option that could not sustain a person’s life in a
healthy way. That is not to mention the argument that many
thought that depriving a person of their right to peaceful
protest goes against the international principles of human
rights.
With the new envoy being announced on Monday, it remains to be
seen what precise action will be taken on the matter.
The previous holder of the special envoy post Sloan is to inherit
was Daniel Fried. He had been reassigned in January, but has not
been replaced. Part of his duties was to persuade countries to
take in the inmates that have been approved for release.
John Kerry summarized the administration’s reasons for wanting
the facility shut down, and praised the new envoy for his skills
and expertise.
“Our fidelity to the rule of law likewise compels us also to
end the long, uncertain detention of the detainees at Guantanamo…
We can do it in a way that makes us more secure, not less. It
will not be easy, but if anyone can effectively navigate the
space between agencies and branches of government, it’s
Cliff.”
This article originally appeared on: RT