75 members of the House of Representatives think that Guantanamo "tarnishes" the American reputation "abroad" and "undermines" the country's ability to "protect human rights and the rule of law," according to an open letter.
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| [US Congress Building] |
On Thursday, August 5th, elected Democrats asked US President Joe Biden to shut the Guantanamo military jail and free or trial the remaining 39 inmates accused of being al-Qaeda operatives.
As the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks approaches, 75 members of the House of Representatives wrote an open letter to President Obama criticizing the detention center's exorbitant costs. " Guantanamo prison formerly housed up to 800 detainees, but it now houses just 39 men, many of whom are older and growing weaker," they write in their letter.
According to news sources, the jail costs more than $500 million per year, equating to a whopping yearly cost of $13 million per prisoner "They continue, The fact that it is still open after 20 years is a testament to its inadequacy "tarnishes our international brand and jeopardizes our ability to protect human rights and the rule of law», the elected officials state.
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We understand that shutting the jail will take time, but we feel it is past time for you to make a choice, wrote Joe Biden's elected Democrats.
They suggest that some of the prisoners be prosecuted by federal courts, some be returned to their home countries, and the remainder be sent to other nations that promise to treat them properly and not represent them in any way. The United States is not threatened.
Despite shaky proof of their involvement, the majority of Guantanamo inmates have been held. Before being sent to Guantanamo, several were tortured at secret CIA locations.
When Barack Obama took office in January 2009, he ordered the jail to be shuttered with the intention of having the detainees prosecuted in civilian tribunals. However, Congress had vetoed the decision, which was extremely unpopular. Hundreds of inmates whose release had been recommended by the Presidency Review Committee were subsequently quietly released by the former president. Under Donald Trump, these disclosures were halted. They resumed under Joe Biden, with five convicts who had been authorized for release since January.
Twelve Guantanamo inmates, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused 9/11 mastermind, are awaiting trial by a military commission, which has only convicted two people in the last two decades.
US President Joe Biden announced earlier this year that he intends to dismantle the infamous Guantanamo Bay jail before the conclusion of his tenure. As a result, the Democrat picks up on a campaign promise made by Barack Obama, which he has never been able to implement due to a lack of compromise with Congress. When asked if the Guantanamo prison will be closed under Joe Biden's presidency, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki responded, "This is definitely our aim and our intention." "As a result, we started a procedure with the National Security Council (...) to engage with various federal agencies and analyze the present scenario (...) that we inherited from the previous administration," he added. she continues.