Dismantling Guantánamo: Just Spreading the Problem?
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Guantánamo Bay needs to be dismantled. I agree. But I'm not so keen on the proposed solution.
Washington is transferring a majority of Guantánamo Bay's prisoners internationally and domestically.
The key issue for me is what happens to these transferred prisoners. Can we be really assured that the same abuses which occured in Guantánamo will not occur in other prisons? With Guantánamo's prisoners scattered globally, it is harder for the media to watch and track prisoner treatment. One good thing about Guantánamo was that it was just one place, making it not only a magnet for media attention, but an easy symbol of "darkness and evil."
Not only is the quantity involved a little worrisome, but also the quality - the kinds of countries housing the prisoners. Because the UK and Australia are not the only ones housing these suspected terrorists. According to CNN, the following countries are also, in addition to ther countries, housing them: Algeria, Chad, Pakistan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, and, hold your breath, Iran and Iraq!
The fact that Iran and Iraq are holding suspected terrorists for America implies the possibility that these prisons would be mainly US-runned, or at least, US-manned.
Furthermore, what is the freedom of press like in those countries? According to Reporters Without Borders, Libya's freedom of the press is "virtually non-existent."
It's hard to find another low-cost solution, though, for the U.S. Any suggestions?
