Obama orders closure of Guantanamo Bay

HAVANA, Cuba – WITH only a few days as President of the United States, Barack Obama has made his first executive act in signing a January 22 order to close the American Naval Base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba and halt its military commissions within a year.

The executive draft also ordered the “end of the use of torture, the shuttering of secret prisons around the world and a review of the detention of the only US resident being held indefinitely as an enemy combatant in the US, Ali al-Marri”. 

According to the issue posted by American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), “The detention facilities at Guantánamo for individuals covered by this order shall be closed as soon as practicable, and no later than one year from the date of this order.

“If any individuals covered by this order remain in detention at Guantánamo at the time of closure of those detention facilities, they shall be returned to their home country, released, transferred to a third country, or transferred to another United States detention facility in a manner consistent with law and the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States.”

Executive Director ACLU Anthony Romero said the executive orders represent a “giant step forward” for the US. He added that putting an end to the Guantanamo Bay detention centre, torture and secret prisons is a “civil liberties trifecta”, adding that President Obama should be highly commended for his “bold and decisive action so early in his administration”.

“There are, however, ambiguities in the orders regarding treatment of certain detainees that could either be the result of the swiftness with which these orders were issued or ambivalence within the Obama administration. We are hopeful that as the process unfolds and gets clarified, there will be no doubt that detainees must either be charged, prosecuted and convicted or they need to be released.

“Adherence to American legal principles requires unconditional action; there is no room for a middle-ground. It would be an enormous mistake for the Obama administration to allow for indefinite detention in any case, or to endeavour to create any system other than our centuries-old justice system for prosecuting detainees,” Romero added.

Almost 250 detainees are awaiting trial at the controversial US base as the report claims that “the unusual circumstances associated with detentions at Guantánamo require a comprehensive interagency review”.