Gitmo in Conformity with Geneva Convention, Obama-Ordered Report Confirms
Binyam Mohamed, 30, foreground, a British resident who has been held at Guantanamo Bay for more than four years, covers his face as he leaves RAF Northolt in west London Monday Feb. 23, 2009, after nearly seven years in U.S. captivity - the first inmate from the U.S. prison camp freed since President Barack Obama took office. (AP Photo/ Anthony Devlin/PA)
(CNSNews.com) – The Guantanamo Bay prison where terror suspects are held was examined by a special task force ordered by President Barack Obama. In its 81-page report, released Monday, the task force concluded: “After considerable deliberation and a comprehensive review, it is our judgment that the conditions of confinement in Guantanamo are in conformity with Common Article 3 of the Geneva Convention.”
The report also noted that the prison, popularly referred to as Gitmo, keeps its thermostat set between 75 and 80 degrees, provides art classes to the prisoners, and holds a library of 13,000 books, 900 magazines, 300 DVDs and regular TV programs. Also, there is a “detainee newsletter.”
Democrats and some Republicans have alleged that terror suspects have been tortured by the U.S. government during interrogations at Gitmo. Obama, during his first week in office, signed an executive order to close the prison within a year.
The report also noted that the prison, popularly referred to as Gitmo, keeps its thermostat set between 75 and 80 degrees, provides art classes to the prisoners, and holds a library of 13,000 books, 900 magazines, 300 DVDs and regular TV programs. Also, there is a “detainee newsletter.”
Democrats and some Republicans have alleged that terror suspects have been tortured by the U.S. government during interrogations at Gitmo. Obama, during his first week in office, signed an executive order to close the prison within a year.
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The task force assigned to review Gitmo was headed by Admiral Patrick Walsh, vice chief of Naval Operations. Walsh told reporters Monday that the investigation was conducted over 13 days and consisted of more than 100 interviews including prisoners and guards.
“All interrogations are voluntary; approximately one-third of the sessions are at detainees’ request,” the report states. “Given the length of time that most detainees have spent at Guantanamo, the primary focus of the interrogation is to gather security and force protection information related to the operations of detention camps. The current nature of the intelligence mission lends itself to the use of direct approaches and small incentive items to encourage detainees to volunteer information.”-Click on link for more.
