Marking the 6,000 days that the offshore prison has been open—”the latest horrible milestone” in its history—a group of human rights campaigners on Friday is urging President Donald Trump to stand on the side of justice and close Guantánamo’s doors forever.
“It is outrageous that the U.S. government continues to perpetuate the myth of an ‘endless war,’ as a supposed justification for holding prisoners indefinitely without charge or trial, when this is, in fact, a policy for which there is no justification whatsoever,” declared Andy Worthington, co-founder of the Close Guantánamo campaign.
Rather than looking to close it, however, the U.S. military is looking at the possibility that the prison, which now holds 40 men, will be open indefinitely. “We ultimately have to plan for whether or not they are going to be here for the rest of their lives,” said Army Col. Stephen Gabavics, commander of the guard force, to reporters last week. The military even made a pitch for new areas for the prison for “high value detainees” that would include a hospice wing and wheelchair-accessible cells. It would be “the humane way ahead,” argued prison spokeswoman Navy Cmdr. Anne Leanos.
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The men, as Worthington noted, are held “without any rights whatsoever.” Twenty-six of them are “forever prisoners,” having been held without any charge. Five have been cleared for transfer, but remain imprisoned. The nine others have been charged but remain at Gitmo, still entangled in the “unfair” military commission system.
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