by James Oliphant
The American Civil Liberties Union Thursday filed suit against the Department of Defense in a Washington, D.C. federal court, seeking records related to all deaths of detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
The suit, filed under the Freedom of Information Act, asks for all records relating to deaths, attempted suicides and attempted homicides since January 2002. It specifically mentions four prisoner deaths, labeled by the government as suicides.
The group alleges that because of Pentagon policies and practices at Guantanamo Bay, which they say includes prisoner abuse, "hunger strikes and suicide attempts began soon after the camp opened." And it points to media reports that suggest that 41 suicide attempts had occurred by June 2006.
It complains that administration officials have not taken such problems seriously, instead labeling them "asymmetric warfare" and "PR move." The Bush administration has declared the prisoners to be "enemy combatants," but does not consider them prisoners of war who must be given rights under by the Geneva Conventions.
“Over six years into Guantánamo’s existence, there have been dozens of suicide attempts and four apparent suicides and yet the Bush administration refuses to come clean about what happened, when, and most importantly, why,” said Hina Shamsi, staff attorney with the ACLU National Security Project, in a statement. “The secrecy surrounding deaths at Guantánamo hides the dire consequences of indefinite detention from the American public. The prison camp is a blight on America’s conscience and the public needs to know the truth about what is going on there.”
When three suicides occurred in June 2006, deputy assistant Secretary of Defense Cully Stimson said, "What I would say is that we are always concerned when someone takes his own life. Because as Americans, we value life, even the lives of violent terrorists who are captured waging war against our country," he said.
About 280 detainees remain at the Cuban base, less than half of the prison's population at its peak.
You can read the ACLU's complaint here.
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Comments
Yet, further proof that this President, nor his administration has a clue, as to what a democratic nation, is all about!!
That we are discussing prisoners' deaths is reprehensible, criminal. Yet, if you hide behind the Military image, you are above our laws. I don't think so. These people responsible for these deaths must be tried and punished, even if it means going all the way to the White House!! How on earth did we stray so far from the democratic path? Terrorists attack and we lose our constitutional rights and abandon what made this nation great these last few centuries. We give up our democratic ideals. That is unacceptable and those who advocate it, should be charged with treason. Wake up, America, our ideals are slipping away!!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, Chicago | April 17, 2008 2:04 PM
I'm so glad the ACLU loves radical animal Muslim Jihadists so much they are suing the Defense Department to try to find some reason to love our enemies.
If the Congress would pass laws to stop paying these predatory parasites legal fees this kind of nonsenese would stop.
The ACLU has Communist beliefs they are not American patriots trial lawyers run amok. Jerry White, Springfield, IL P.S. Now in league with AlQuaeda good luck raising more funds from stupid liberalsl.
Posted by: Jerry White | April 17, 2008 4:28 PM