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At Guantánamo, Iguanas Have Rights. Detainees, Not So Much.
Upon returning from his last trip to Guantánamo, Jamil Dakwar told us that iguanas are a protected species there. We were incredulous, but it turns out, it's no joke;
 as the AP reported back in December:
U.S. law protects endangered iguanas on the naval base, but the Supreme Court is struggling to determine whether it also applies to the 305 men imprisoned there.The San Diego Zoo even had a team there to study the Cuban rock iguanas back in 2001. The irony hasn't escaped the detainees there. In a chat session with Amnesty International, former Guantánamo detainee Moazzam Begg said: According to the US admin, "Geneva Conventions" do not apply; US law does not apply, US Code of Military Justice does not apply, International [law] does not apply. Even the iguanas on Gitmo are protected by laws. Not so the detainees...The attorneys who represent those detainees have also noted it: Tom Wilner, an attorney who represents detainees, said his team has raised the iguana issue in briefs to the Supreme Court. "Anyone, including a federal official, who violates the Endangered Species Act by harming an iguana at (Guantánamo), can be fined and prosecuted," Wilner said. "Yet the government argues that U.S. law does not apply to protect the human prisoners there. ... Pretty absurd."The Supreme Court is expected to deliver a decision in Boumediene v. Bush before the end of June. At issue in Boumediene is whether Guantánamo detainees can use habeas corpus to challenge the lawfulness of their detention. A decision is expected by the end of June. Let's hope the nine justices find that the men at Guantánamo have at least as much protection under the law as the iguanas.
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8 Responses to "At Guantánamo, Iguanas Have Rights. Detainees, Not So Much." |
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May 28th, 2008 at 11:37pm
i! I am a Japanese. Though I looked for English study in various ways, I commented because contents were interesting. I was able to enjoy it very much. In addition, I come to look. Please keep it for us. Thank you!
http://nakamuraeriko.seesaa.net/
May 29th, 2008 at 10:50am
Careful--the Bush Administration's solution to this situation is more likely to be to remove the iguanas' protection than to grant any rights at all to the prisoners.
May 29th, 2008 at 8:41pm
How many people have Iguanas killed again????
May 30th, 2008 at 12:55am
lol .. you know ..jim in co. .. i don't agree with your premise .. but i appreciate the wit ...
May 30th, 2008 at 8:56am
Jim,
Your question is irrelevent. The point is that either federal law governs Guantanamo or it doesn't - the government cannot follow some laws but ignore the ones it does't like. The fact that they are apparently enforcing the Endangered Species Act is a good sign that federal law is in effect in Guantanamo Bay.
Jun 2nd, 2008 at 12:09pm
The last time i checked..the profile for a terroriest was a male, mid-twenties, Islamic..and not an iguana.
so i am all for rights for the iguanas!
Nov 4th, 2009 at 1:59am
LOL! Those are funny road signs. I’m also a foreigner visiting India, and I can tell you that those signs are in many other places in the country. I think it’s an effective way to prevent accidents, especially on such dangerous roads. I was once searching for safety signs for my company and I came across this interesting company, LEM Products (http://www.lemproductsinc.com). In their website you can see many other examples on how those signs are used and its importance for many industries.
http://www.lemproductsinc.com
Nov 4th, 2009 at 2:04am
LOL! Those are funny road signs. I’m also a foreigner visiting India, and I can tell you that those signs are in many other places in the country. I think it’s an effective way to prevent accidents, especially on such dangerous roads. I was once searching for safety signs for my company and I came across this interesting company, LEM Products (http://www.lemproductsinc.com). In their website you can see many other examples on how those signs are used and its importance for many industries.
http://www.lemproductsinc.com