Sen. Harkin bill: Close Gitmo

[Thorgrim]

Warning: (Obviously, this piece is bias)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today introduced legislation requiring the U.S. Department of Defense to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In the wake of human rights abuses, leaders from across the political spectrum at home and abroad have agreed that the continued operation of this military prison has damaged America's reputation and impeded efforts to fight terrorism.

"By continuing to isolate detainees on Guantanamo Bay without bringing charges against them, we have forfeited our moral leadership and hindered our ability to rally support in our fight against terrorism," Harkin said. "Closing this facility is our single best opportunity to rally our allies in a more effective fight against terrorism and reduce the risk to Americans traveling abroad."

Under this legislation, prisoners currently being held at Guantanamo Bay would be transferred to the United States Detention Base at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, a state-of-the-art, maximum security facility. The bill would require the Administration to resolve the legal status of at least 385 prisoners currently held at Guantanamo Bay by either charging them with a crime or an offense under the Military Commissions Act, returning them to the custody of their home country, or, where necessary, returning them to a country where they do not face torture.

"It is time to close Guantanamo Bay. It is time to charge the terrorists who have been caught. Secretary of Defense Gates knows it. Secretary of State Rice knows it. This bill does it." Harkin said.

A number of human rights groups are supporting the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility Act of 2007, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, Human Rights First and Human Rights Watch.


Harkin has long fought to curtail human rights abuses around the world. As a congressional staffer in 1970, Harkin traveled with a congressional delegation on a fact-finding trip to Vietnam and discovered so-called tiger cages at Con Son Island. In these tiger cases, Viet Cong and North Vietnamese prisoners, as well as civilian opponents of the war, were being held, tortured and killed with the full knowledge and sanction of the U.S. government. Despite the objections of his superiors, Harkin spoke out and published his photos of the tiger cages in Life Magazine, drawing much-needed attention to these abuses.

Tom Harkin: HARKIN INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO CLOSE GUANTANAMO BAY ### HARKIN INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO CLOSE GUANTANAMO BAY

What do you think? I 100% agree, giving them a hearing is a chance to show the world we're a nation of justice, not snagging people we "suspect" to be associated with terrorists and locking them away for life

Even KSM, we don't need to immediately try him for his role in 9/11 (he's the exception, not the rule, many of those guys have been released after years or do not have any direct ties that have been cited)

We can simply try him for being associated with AQ and attacks against America, a full and clear trial that does not need to use any secret methods...his guilt is obvious, I am sure 12 Americans would sentence him to long term prison time on that alone, where he can be locked up in cell for years while things settle down and we deal with the others

[Kytro]

The US has no legitimate need for Gitmo

[motivez]

They should be held on American soil so that they are treated with the same respect and dignity that we would want our soldiers to be treated if captured.

We should hold ourselves to far higher standards than the terrorists, and by engaging in torture of any kind we eliminate our position of having the moral high ground in this fight against Islamic extremism.. and unfortunately the next administration is going to have to work hard to get it back after all of the damage Bush has caused.

And it's not just torture, either, it's access to be able to challenge their detention, see lawyers, and so on and so forth.. the idea that they hate us for our freedom, so we should start abandoning the principles that have made this country great is just ludicrous.

[Diesel66]

holding them at Leavenworth wouldnt change anything. They are still protected captives needed to be in front of a tribunal.