The U.S. recently denied U.N. officials access to information on conditions at Guantanamo Bay and other overseas detention facilities. It was the latest in a series of refusals by the Obama administration to allow international human rights organizations to probe Bush-era practices. Administration officials insist, however, that they have not formally closed the door on visits to Gitmo.
The Washington Post:
The Obama administration has declined requests from U.N. human rights investigators for information on secret prisons and for private interviews with inmates at the U.S. military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, U.N. officials said, dampening their hopes of greater U.S. cooperation on human rights issues.
The rebuffs are the latest instances of the U.S. government resisting international human rights organizations’ efforts to learn about Bush administration practices. In June, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton turned down a request from the top U.N. anti-torture official for a meeting in Washington to discuss practices at secret CIA detention centers and at Guantanamo Bay, despite the administration’s avowed commitment to being open to greater scrutiny by the United Nations.
Two U.N. human rights researchers, Martin Scheinin and Manfred Nowak, separately requested visits to the Guantanamo Bay facility in recent months and were turned down. “They said, ‘We are trying to close down the institution. For the time being, we don’t see it as a priority,’ ” Scheinin said U.S. officials told him. “It was not a ‘no, no.’ It was a diplomatic ‘no.’ Let’s say dialogue will continue.”
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I don’t envy Obama. He knows that if he lifts the lid on this a shitstorm of mythic proportions will erupt which will consume his presidency and push everything else to one side, including health care reform and other things that are at a once in a lifetime stage to get them done. These camps ARE concentration camps. Lawyers from New York who went to camp 6 to defend detainees described them it as a ‘concentration camp’. Guantanamo Bay is in fact a torture camp, something which is completely prohibited under the Geneva Conventions. The truth about Guantanamo and the crimes committed there could see warrants issued for the arrest and extradition to the Hague of military personnel and politicians such as Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney.
Of course America would never hand them over but those with warrants hanging over their heads would never be able to leave the United States again without fearing arrest and trial.And the Democrats fear they will be blamed and seen as traitors for revealing the truth and that the media machine bought and paid for by the Republicans will broadcast this message day and night ending any hopes of re-election for Obama and keeping them out of government while the ghouls return to the White House to do god knows what crimes that are on their to do list. Like invading Iran for example and starting another cold war with Russia and destroying the global economy all over again. The situation is that you have to weigh up tragedies and decide which tragedy is worse. Allowing the fascists back into the white house IS worse and the truth will come out with or without Obama’s help. Whichever way it goes, the fascists will never be on trial in the Hague so Obama is asking himself why he should throw himself on the Republican/neo con funeral pyre and burn with them. It’s a valid question: but the moral choice is never the easy choice. My guess is, that in his (hopefully) second term Obama will be open to the idea of revealing all but he only has two terms to change things that will actually take decades to fix. He doesn’t want to leave office with nothing accomplished except the futile pursuit of people who are too powerful to ever be sent to the Hague. But he’s far too intelligent to believe that he will never have to grapple with all this.
By Jim Yell, July 23, 2009 at 10:25 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
This is an Alice thru the looking glass moment as our new President revisits the crimes of our past administration and acts just like Bush. What is going on here?
This is the strategy not only of the Bush administration, but of the North Koreans. Aren’t we ashamed Yet?
The U.S. just validated the point that Guantanamo et al. is worse than Auschwitz, Dachau, Bergen-Belsen, and dang that’s some nasty business. What the Obama administration is hiding from us all, proves positively that Bushco MUST stand before war crimes tribunals. Well and Team Obama. Covering up for Bushco is collusion and that is inexcusable. Unforgivable?
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By diamond, July 24, 2009 at 12:38 pm Link to this comment
I don’t envy Obama. He knows that if he lifts the lid on this a shitstorm of mythic proportions will erupt which will consume his presidency and push everything else to one side, including health care reform and other things that are at a once in a lifetime stage to get them done. These camps ARE concentration camps. Lawyers from New York who went to camp 6 to defend detainees described them it as a ‘concentration camp’. Guantanamo Bay is in fact a torture camp, something which is completely prohibited under the Geneva Conventions. The truth about Guantanamo and the crimes committed there could see warrants issued for the arrest and extradition to the Hague of military personnel and politicians such as Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney.
Of course America would never hand them over but those with warrants hanging over their heads would never be able to leave the United States again without fearing arrest and trial.And the Democrats fear they will be blamed and seen as traitors for revealing the truth and that the media machine bought and paid for by the Republicans will broadcast this message day and night ending any hopes of re-election for Obama and keeping them out of government while the ghouls return to the White House to do god knows what crimes that are on their to do list. Like invading Iran for example and starting another cold war with Russia and destroying the global economy all over again. The situation is that you have to weigh up tragedies and decide which tragedy is worse. Allowing the fascists back into the white house IS worse and the truth will come out with or without Obama’s help. Whichever way it goes, the fascists will never be on trial in the Hague so Obama is asking himself why he should throw himself on the Republican/neo con funeral pyre and burn with them. It’s a valid question: but the moral choice is never the easy choice. My guess is, that in his (hopefully) second term Obama will be open to the idea of revealing all but he only has two terms to change things that will actually take decades to fix. He doesn’t want to leave office with nothing accomplished except the futile pursuit of people who are too powerful to ever be sent to the Hague. But he’s far too intelligent to believe that he will never have to grapple with all this.
Report thisBy david dixit, July 24, 2009 at 4:22 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
The US is still a morally bankrupt country…
WAKE UP ASSHOLES !
Report thisBy AWM, July 23, 2009 at 4:12 pm Link to this comment
Meet the new boss
Report thisSame as the old boss
By Jim Yell, July 23, 2009 at 10:25 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
This is an Alice thru the looking glass moment as our new President revisits the crimes of our past administration and acts just like Bush. What is going on here?
This is the strategy not only of the Bush administration, but of the North Koreans. Aren’t we ashamed Yet?
Report thisBy mike112769, July 23, 2009 at 10:22 am Link to this comment
These cannot be compared to the Nazis’ camps. It is a shame that they are lying to us just as Bush did.
Report thisBy skulz fontaine, July 23, 2009 at 10:06 am Link to this comment
The U.S. just validated the point that Guantanamo et al. is worse than Auschwitz, Dachau, Bergen-Belsen, and dang that’s some nasty business. What the Obama administration is hiding from us all, proves positively that Bushco MUST stand before war crimes tribunals. Well and Team Obama. Covering up for Bushco is collusion and that is inexcusable. Unforgivable?
Report this