CHICAGO, USA - Just two days after taking office in 2009, President Barack Obama ordered the shutdown of Guantanamo, writes the Chicago Tribune.
The detention compound at the U.S. naval base on the southern coast of Cuba was built to hold militants captured in the course of the post-9/11 war on terror. But by the time of Obama’s ascent to the White House, Guantanamo had become synonymous with hypocrisy.
America insisted that other nations treat detainees with dignity, and yet secretly tortured and mistreated individuals it had in custody at Guantanamo, relying on the cover of national security to justify its actions. In signing an executive order mandating Gitmo’s shutdown, Obama said the U.S. would continue fighting terrorism “in a manner that is consistent with our values and our ideals.”
Like his old boss, Biden at the outset of his presidency promised to permanently shutter the Guantanamo detention facility. More than a year and a half later, there has been little movement toward the compound’s closure.
Inexplicably, there’s still no end in sight for Guantanamo. Today, 36 inmates remain, at a cost to American taxpayers of $13 million per detainee per year. Overall, Gitmo is estimated to cost $540 million annually, but cost isn’t the only reason why the Biden administration must act decisively to finally shut down the compound.
The United States cannot preach the sanctity of human rights to China, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia or a host of other transgressor nations if it continues to operate one of its most infamous symbols of disregard for fair, humane and just treatment of detainees — regardless of affiliation or alleged offense.
Biden appoints senior diplomat to oversee detainee transfers, WSJ
The Biden administration has appointed a senior diplomat to oversee the transfer of detainees out of Guantanamo Bay, in a quiet step towards fulfilling a campaign promise to finally close the prison, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Biden's new special representative is Tina Kaidanow, a former ambassador-at-large and coordinator for counterterrorism, the newspaper reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The administration has also signalled that it will not interfere with plea negotiations that could resolve the long-stalled prosecution of alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four co-defendants.
There are currently 36 men being held at Guantanamo Bay, 20 of whom have been approved for transfer, while five are in indefinite detention. Ten are awaiting trial and two have been convicted, including Majid Khan, who has finished his sentence and is in need of a country to be transferred to.
Around $540 million of US taxpayers' money is spent each year to hold the prisoners at Guantanamo, equal to $13 million per prisoner, according to a 2019 report from The New York Times. Some critics of the Biden administration's policy on Guantanamo say that its efforts to close the prison have been delayed by other issues, including newer crises that have been occupying the national security staff.
"Holding people without charge or trial for years on end cannot be reconciled with the values we espouse as a nation, and has deprived the victims of 9/11 and their families of any semblance of justice or closure," Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Dick Durbin told the Wall Street Journal.
