Terrorist detention facility in the spotlight
On Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016, President Barack Obama vowed to close the prison in Guantanamo Bay, before his term ends in January 2017. President Obama presented a new plan to Congress to disperse the facility’s remaining 91 detainees to other prisons, both within the United States and the home countries of the men slated for transfer.
“I don’t want to pass this problem on to the next president, whoever it is,” said President Obama in a Feb. 23, 2016 release from the White House. “Are we going to let this linger on for another 15 years? Keeping this facility open is contrary to our values. It undermines our standing in the world. It is viewed as a stain on our broader record of upholding the highest standards of rule of law.”
Guantanamo Bay has been an uphill battle for President Obama since the day after he took office. On the second day of his first term as president in 2009, President Obama signed an executive order to close the facility. In 2009, there were 245 detainees in Guantanamo, and although the number has decreased, it is no closer to closing now than it was in 2009.
There are a few roadblocks causing real problems for those in Congress who do want to close the prison. In December 2010, Congress passed a bill banning the use of federal funds to bring foreign detainees into the United States. Years later, in November 2015, another bill was passed that further restricted the transfer of detainees to other countries.
President Obama’s plan to disperse the prisoners to 13 undisclosed American prisons was followed by a supporting statement released from the United Nations. The United Nations supported the proposed plan, on the condition that all remaining prisoners, no matter where they go, receive a fair trial.
“All Guantanamo detainees should either be transferred to regular detention centers in the U.S. mainland or other countries, where fair trials before civilian courts and due process guarantees can be provided in accordance with international norms and standards,” said Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the UN high commissioner for human rights, in a Feb. 23, 2016 statement. “If there is insufficient evidence to charge them with any crime, they must be released to their home country, or to a third country if they risk persecution at home.”
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President Obama’s plan faces harsh criticism from the conservative side of the house. Senator John McCain, a vocal supporter of closing the facility, spoke out against President Obama’s plan, calling it a “vague menu of options, which does not include a policy for dealing with future terrorist detainees.” Senator McCain went on to say, “Obama has missed a major chance to convince Congress and the American people that he has a responsible plan to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.”
In a slightly more juvenile response, Senator Pat Roberts released a video of himself, on Feb. 23, 2016, crumpling up a piece of paper and throwing it into a trash can, as a physical representation of his opinion.
The plan delivered to Congress provides financial arguments for closing Guantanamo along with suggestions about where to put the remaining detainees.
According to U.S. officials cited by the Associated Press, the annual operating cost for Guantanamo Bay is $445-million. Officials have said that the detention centre will need an estimated $225-million in repairs, if operation is to be continued.