Jan 30th, 2009
Posted by Nahal Zamani, Human Rights Program at 12:48pm	Human Rights, National Security

Pursuing Real Transparency and Humane Treatment At Guantánamo

The ACLU, Amnesty International, Human Rights First and Human Rights Watch wrote to President Obama today requesting full access to the Guantánamo Bay detention camps to independently examine and report on conditions of confinement there. Our four organizations were granted observer status in August 2004 in order to observe the military commissions, but our persistent requests for full access to the detention camps have been repeatedly denied by the Bush administration, which only offered us the VIP tour of sanitized areas approved by their public relations experts.

Section 6 of President Obama's January 22, 2009 executive order orders Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and the Department of Defense (DoD) to immediately review the conditions of detention at Guantánamo and ensure compliance with the Geneva Conventions. If full access is granted, our organizations would independently review and report on the conditions of confinement at Guantánamo and make concrete recommendations for change, assisting the DoD with their current review. The independent outside assessment would also be reported publicly to the world and contribute to a renewed effort to bring the U.S. into compliance with international human rights obligations.

The ACLU and other organizations continue to struggle for information regarding the present conditions of confinement of detainees in Guantánamo. The information that we have managed to piece together has been disturbing and worrisome; many detainees have attempted suicide, others are on hunger strike to protest conditions of confinement, and many detainees continue to be held in inhumanely isolated confinement for months and years on end.

President Obama has pledged that his administration will usher in a new era of openness and transparency. Allowing four independent civil liberties and human rights organizations to independently examine the Guantánamo detention camps would signal a significant break from the Bush administration's policy of secrecy regarding conditions of confinement at Guantánamo. By doing so, President Obama would help restore American legitimacy and standing in the world, and place pressure on other governments to open their detention centers for independent inspections.

In light of the important changes that President Obama has initiated in his first days in office, we trust that he will act quickly to uphold transparency at Guantánamo.

To learn more about the ACLU's efforts around Guantánamo, visit www.closegitmo.com.

Permalink |	Human Rights, National Security

Tags: Close Guantanamo, Human Rights Program

1. Vic Livingston Says:
   Feb 3rd, 2009 at 12:11am

   (ACLU: Please post this corrected version and please strike the above version. Thanks.)

   I UNDERSTAND…

   I UNDERSTAND IT’S EASIER TO THINK THAT AMERICAN TORTURE HAS BEEN CONFINED TO GUANTANAMO, FOREIGN “RENDITION” PRISONS AND FACILITIES IN IRAQ.

   I UNDERSTAND…

   BUT NOW COMES THE HARSH REALITY CHECK.

   THERE IS MORE TORTURE TO CONTEND WITH — MUCH MORE.

   DOMESTIC TORTURE OF AMERICANS, BY AMERICANS.

   ACLU IS NOW CONFRONTED WITH THE PERSONAL TESTIMONY FROM VICTIMS OF AN AMERICAN GESTAPO THAT HAS RUN A STEALTH WAR ON (MOSTLY) UNKNOWING INNOCENTS…

   …BY WAY OF SILENT, ILLNESS- AND INJURY-INDUCING RADIATION WEAPONRY.

   THE VICTIMS SURELY NUMBER IN THE THOUSANDS, NATIONWIDE.

   AND SOON, PERHAPS AS EARLY AS THIS WEEK OR NEXT, DOMESTIC TORTURE “DO-ERS” SEEKING IMMUNITY FOR THEIR CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY WILL BEGIN TO COME FORWARD.

   READ THIS JOURNALIST-VICTIM’S ACCOUNTS HERE — THEN REPRESENT, WE, THE AMERICAN DOMESTIC TORTURE VICTIMS, IN A CLASS-ACTION SUIT:

   http://my.nowpublic.com/world/domestic-torture-radiation- weaponry-americas-horrific-shame

   http://www.nowpublic.com/world /gestapo-usa-govt-funded-vigilante-network-targets-terrorizes-u-s-citi zens

   OR (if links are corrupted):

   http://My.NowPublic.com/scrivener

2. rhoda ozen Says:
   Feb 3rd, 2009 at 4:08pm

   All fine and dandy but what about the other "Detainee Center" being built according to Adm. Mullen.
   http://cbs4.com/national/mullen.close.gitmo.2.629047.html
   Then we have Wordpress.com and .org, yesterday they mabipulated my links went into my Blogs rearranged media, messed with passwords. Why? Because journalists are referring to "EXTRAORDINARY" Renditions as Rendition, 2 different things. To illustrate the difference I used a photo fro thememoryhole.org of a Torture victim in a stress position, the Padilla they took out 7 times and tried to delete it, if you use snapshot a link in another part of the article shows a copy of the Interrogators Manual, proving they did have this.
   No matter how many deeplinks I researc and find they, these supposed Truthful sites screw with your data, violating my First and Fourth, Commondreams.org banned me, WHY? perhaps they'll give you the answer.
   Rhoda Ozen
   rhodaleeozen@gmail.com

3. rhoda ozen Says:
   Feb 3rd, 2009 at 4:10pm

   Padilla link:
   http://rawstory.com/images/new/jose_padilla_fbi_ap.jpg
   R Ozen
   rhodaleeozen@gmail.con

4. rhoda ozen Says:
   Feb 3rd, 2009 at 4:13pm

   Okay me again, reminding the public, look at my blog first I am a non-prof, my licenses are in plain view so please DO NOT STEAL these links and post as yours.
   Thanks

5. George Gagner Says:
   Feb 3rd, 2009 at 6:35pm

   domestic-torture-radiation-weaponry-americas-horrific-shame
   ,i went through this and it is awful,no-one should have to endure this type of prehistoric animal abuse,funny thing humans are not animals and torture is wrong.