Friday, February 20, 2009

Be careful what you ask for

The results of a study of the Guantanamo Bay prison have been released, and I suspect they don't reflect what Obama wanted to hear.

The Pentagon says the Guantanamo Bay prison meets the standard for humane treatment laid out in the Geneva Conventions, according to a report for President Barack Obama, who has ordered the terrorist detention center closed within a year.

[snip]

The 85-page report by Adm. Patrick M. Walsh, the Navy's second in command, was written in response to Obama's Jan. 22 executive order to close the facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba within a year.

As a presidential candidate, Obama criticized the detention center that human rights groups and many in the international community widely condemned for harsh treatment of prisoners during the Bush administration. The military has defended its actions, saying prisoners have been treated humanely since the center was set up after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The report found the camp to be in compliance with the Geneva Conventions Common Article 3, the international rules that require the humane treatment of prisoners taken in unconventional armed conflicts, like the war on terrorism. The camp's controversial force-feeding of prisoners on hunger strikes was also found to be compliant with the Geneva guidelines, a second government official confirmed.


After all the years of grousing about how horrible the United States is for torturing these prisoners, it's rather ironic that the prison is suddenly just a swell place now that the Dims are in power. You can read the rest here.

No comments:

Post a Comment