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President Barack Obama on Tuesday outlined his long-awaited plan to close the Guantanamo Bay military detention center in Cuba, but rights groups immediately condemned the proposal as a series of "talking points" rather than any real effort to end the indefinite detention of prisoners and restore justice.
"The infamy of Guantanamo has never been just its location, but rather its immoral and illegal regime of indefinite detention," said the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), which represents a number of Guantanamo detainees. "Closing Guantanamo in any meaningful sense means putting an end to that practice."
During a press briefing, the president outlined the steps that the Pentagon will take to shutter the infamous offshore facility where dozens of alleged terror suspects have been subject to torture, and languished for over a decade without charge or trial. Currently, 91 detainees are still held at the facility.
The plan (pdf) includes transferring abroad the 35 detainees already approved for release, accelerating periodic reviews, reforming the military commissions process, and working with Congress to determine a "secure location" at a maximum security prison within the United States to relocate the remaining prisoners.
"We are dealing with a current group of detainees," which--because of the "manner in which they were originally apprehended"-- are particularly "complex," Obama said during Tuesday's press briefing, alluding to the notorious torture and rendition of post-9/11 terrorism suspects.
"We are closing a chapter in our history and reflecting on the lessons learned about 9/11...to guide our nation going forward," Obama stated.
The president--who, during the 2008 election, campaigned on a promise to close Guantanamo--said that 15 years after 9/11, "we are still having to defend a facility and a process where not a single verdict has been reached in those attacks."
Keeping Guantanamo open, he said, is "counter-productive in our fight against terrorists," drains military resources, harms partnerships with foreign allies, and "undermines our standing in the world."
"This plan demonstrates what the Guantanamo prisoners have always been: not dangerous men, but the ultimate pawns in the power games of others."
--Aisha Maniar, London Guantanamo Campaign
"I don't want to pass this problem on to the next president, whoever it is," he added. However, Obama acknowledged that his plan, which requires substantial Congressional support, faces a "fair amount of opposition" from Republican lawmakers.
Given that, critics of the plan argue that the steps laid out do very little to effectively "close Guantanamo."
"Without ending arbitrary indefinite detention, there is no end to the 'misguided experiment' that is Guantanamo Bay," said Aisha Maniar, organizer of the London Guantanamo Campaign, citing the president's own remarks on the prison.
"Instead," Maniar continued, "Barack Obama has offered Congress a politically expedient plan that will help to protect his historic legacy as a president who tried. Coming at a key point in this year's presidential campaign, and anticipating 'a fair amount of opposition in Congress,' the plan offers politicians on both sides a talking point to appear tough on terrorism and national security issues, while eschewing real threats."
"The plan offers no viable solution to ending what Guantanamo represents, any more than it offers either freedom or justice for remaining prisoners," Maniar added. "This plan demonstrates what the Guantanamo prisoners have always been: not dangerous men, but the ultimate pawns in the power games of others."
The Center for Constitutional Rights issued a similar critique of the plan, which it describes as "several obvious steps" that the organization "has long called for, and that the Obama administration has long reneged on."
"But talk is cheap," the statement continues: "Unless the Obama administration shows real will and dramatically steps up its efforts...men whose detentions the administration itself has determined are unnecessary, who have already been imprisoned for 14 years, will continue to languish long after President Obama has left the White House. This is senseless and cruel."
The group is calling for the 35 detainees to be transferred "without delay," and demanding that the 33 men still waiting for periodic review are "reviewed in time to have an actual chance at being transferred this year."
"Meanwhile," CCR continues, "the centerpiece of the plan--moving those detainees who have not been and will never be charged with any crime to a prison in the U.S.--does not 'close Guantanamo,' it merely relocates it to a new ZIP Code."
Anthony Romero, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, conceded that Obama deserves "praise for trying to make good on his promise," but noted that the decision to "preserve the Bush-created military commissions is a mistake." Ultimately, Romero said, "the president's continuing embrace of indefinite detention without charge or trial will tarnish his legacy."
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President Barack Obama on Tuesday outlined his long-awaited plan to close the Guantanamo Bay military detention center in Cuba, but rights groups immediately condemned the proposal as a series of "talking points" rather than any real effort to end the indefinite detention of prisoners and restore justice.
"The infamy of Guantanamo has never been just its location, but rather its immoral and illegal regime of indefinite detention," said the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), which represents a number of Guantanamo detainees. "Closing Guantanamo in any meaningful sense means putting an end to that practice."
During a press briefing, the president outlined the steps that the Pentagon will take to shutter the infamous offshore facility where dozens of alleged terror suspects have been subject to torture, and languished for over a decade without charge or trial. Currently, 91 detainees are still held at the facility.
The plan (pdf) includes transferring abroad the 35 detainees already approved for release, accelerating periodic reviews, reforming the military commissions process, and working with Congress to determine a "secure location" at a maximum security prison within the United States to relocate the remaining prisoners.
"We are dealing with a current group of detainees," which--because of the "manner in which they were originally apprehended"-- are particularly "complex," Obama said during Tuesday's press briefing, alluding to the notorious torture and rendition of post-9/11 terrorism suspects.
"We are closing a chapter in our history and reflecting on the lessons learned about 9/11...to guide our nation going forward," Obama stated.
The president--who, during the 2008 election, campaigned on a promise to close Guantanamo--said that 15 years after 9/11, "we are still having to defend a facility and a process where not a single verdict has been reached in those attacks."
Keeping Guantanamo open, he said, is "counter-productive in our fight against terrorists," drains military resources, harms partnerships with foreign allies, and "undermines our standing in the world."
"This plan demonstrates what the Guantanamo prisoners have always been: not dangerous men, but the ultimate pawns in the power games of others."
--Aisha Maniar, London Guantanamo Campaign
"I don't want to pass this problem on to the next president, whoever it is," he added. However, Obama acknowledged that his plan, which requires substantial Congressional support, faces a "fair amount of opposition" from Republican lawmakers.
Given that, critics of the plan argue that the steps laid out do very little to effectively "close Guantanamo."
"Without ending arbitrary indefinite detention, there is no end to the 'misguided experiment' that is Guantanamo Bay," said Aisha Maniar, organizer of the London Guantanamo Campaign, citing the president's own remarks on the prison.
"Instead," Maniar continued, "Barack Obama has offered Congress a politically expedient plan that will help to protect his historic legacy as a president who tried. Coming at a key point in this year's presidential campaign, and anticipating 'a fair amount of opposition in Congress,' the plan offers politicians on both sides a talking point to appear tough on terrorism and national security issues, while eschewing real threats."
"The plan offers no viable solution to ending what Guantanamo represents, any more than it offers either freedom or justice for remaining prisoners," Maniar added. "This plan demonstrates what the Guantanamo prisoners have always been: not dangerous men, but the ultimate pawns in the power games of others."
The Center for Constitutional Rights issued a similar critique of the plan, which it describes as "several obvious steps" that the organization "has long called for, and that the Obama administration has long reneged on."
"But talk is cheap," the statement continues: "Unless the Obama administration shows real will and dramatically steps up its efforts...men whose detentions the administration itself has determined are unnecessary, who have already been imprisoned for 14 years, will continue to languish long after President Obama has left the White House. This is senseless and cruel."
The group is calling for the 35 detainees to be transferred "without delay," and demanding that the 33 men still waiting for periodic review are "reviewed in time to have an actual chance at being transferred this year."
"Meanwhile," CCR continues, "the centerpiece of the plan--moving those detainees who have not been and will never be charged with any crime to a prison in the U.S.--does not 'close Guantanamo,' it merely relocates it to a new ZIP Code."
Anthony Romero, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, conceded that Obama deserves "praise for trying to make good on his promise," but noted that the decision to "preserve the Bush-created military commissions is a mistake." Ultimately, Romero said, "the president's continuing embrace of indefinite detention without charge or trial will tarnish his legacy."
President Barack Obama on Tuesday outlined his long-awaited plan to close the Guantanamo Bay military detention center in Cuba, but rights groups immediately condemned the proposal as a series of "talking points" rather than any real effort to end the indefinite detention of prisoners and restore justice.
"The infamy of Guantanamo has never been just its location, but rather its immoral and illegal regime of indefinite detention," said the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), which represents a number of Guantanamo detainees. "Closing Guantanamo in any meaningful sense means putting an end to that practice."
During a press briefing, the president outlined the steps that the Pentagon will take to shutter the infamous offshore facility where dozens of alleged terror suspects have been subject to torture, and languished for over a decade without charge or trial. Currently, 91 detainees are still held at the facility.
The plan (pdf) includes transferring abroad the 35 detainees already approved for release, accelerating periodic reviews, reforming the military commissions process, and working with Congress to determine a "secure location" at a maximum security prison within the United States to relocate the remaining prisoners.
"We are dealing with a current group of detainees," which--because of the "manner in which they were originally apprehended"-- are particularly "complex," Obama said during Tuesday's press briefing, alluding to the notorious torture and rendition of post-9/11 terrorism suspects.
"We are closing a chapter in our history and reflecting on the lessons learned about 9/11...to guide our nation going forward," Obama stated.
The president--who, during the 2008 election, campaigned on a promise to close Guantanamo--said that 15 years after 9/11, "we are still having to defend a facility and a process where not a single verdict has been reached in those attacks."
Keeping Guantanamo open, he said, is "counter-productive in our fight against terrorists," drains military resources, harms partnerships with foreign allies, and "undermines our standing in the world."
"This plan demonstrates what the Guantanamo prisoners have always been: not dangerous men, but the ultimate pawns in the power games of others."
--Aisha Maniar, London Guantanamo Campaign
"I don't want to pass this problem on to the next president, whoever it is," he added. However, Obama acknowledged that his plan, which requires substantial Congressional support, faces a "fair amount of opposition" from Republican lawmakers.
Given that, critics of the plan argue that the steps laid out do very little to effectively "close Guantanamo."
"Without ending arbitrary indefinite detention, there is no end to the 'misguided experiment' that is Guantanamo Bay," said Aisha Maniar, organizer of the London Guantanamo Campaign, citing the president's own remarks on the prison.
"Instead," Maniar continued, "Barack Obama has offered Congress a politically expedient plan that will help to protect his historic legacy as a president who tried. Coming at a key point in this year's presidential campaign, and anticipating 'a fair amount of opposition in Congress,' the plan offers politicians on both sides a talking point to appear tough on terrorism and national security issues, while eschewing real threats."
"The plan offers no viable solution to ending what Guantanamo represents, any more than it offers either freedom or justice for remaining prisoners," Maniar added. "This plan demonstrates what the Guantanamo prisoners have always been: not dangerous men, but the ultimate pawns in the power games of others."
The Center for Constitutional Rights issued a similar critique of the plan, which it describes as "several obvious steps" that the organization "has long called for, and that the Obama administration has long reneged on."
"But talk is cheap," the statement continues: "Unless the Obama administration shows real will and dramatically steps up its efforts...men whose detentions the administration itself has determined are unnecessary, who have already been imprisoned for 14 years, will continue to languish long after President Obama has left the White House. This is senseless and cruel."
The group is calling for the 35 detainees to be transferred "without delay," and demanding that the 33 men still waiting for periodic review are "reviewed in time to have an actual chance at being transferred this year."
"Meanwhile," CCR continues, "the centerpiece of the plan--moving those detainees who have not been and will never be charged with any crime to a prison in the U.S.--does not 'close Guantanamo,' it merely relocates it to a new ZIP Code."
Anthony Romero, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, conceded that Obama deserves "praise for trying to make good on his promise," but noted that the decision to "preserve the Bush-created military commissions is a mistake." Ultimately, Romero said, "the president's continuing embrace of indefinite detention without charge or trial will tarnish his legacy."
LATEST NEWS
Tens of Thousands March Against 'Big Ugly Budget Bill' With Call to Put 'Families First'
"Yesterday marked the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. And we are just days away from the 60th anniversary of Medicaid and Medicare at the end of this month. These policies represent a promise we made to each other: that no matter the ups and downs of life, our ability to take care of our families, from one generation to the next, should be supported," Ai-jen Poo, executive director of Caring Across Generations and president of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, told Common Dreams on Sunday.
"But a big ugly budget bill just passed," Poo continued, "that breaks that promise by making historic cuts to programs like Medicaid, Medicare, and SNAP, by using our tax dollars to stoke fear and rip families apart simply due to their immigration status. This is not what families want, and those who passed it must know that the vast majority of us want our tax dollars to go to healthcare and food, a safety net for families, supporting public funds for families, health, food, and the economic security for all of us, not billionaires."
"To show our power and resolve for a better future we came out in the thousands all across the country."
Families First is a coalition made up of over 75 organizations including Caring Across Generations, National Domestic Workers Alliance, MoveOn, Community Change Action, MomsRising, Planned Parenthood, People's Action Institute, Family Values @ Work, Families Over Billionaires, Fair Share America, Working Families Power, and labor unions like the Service Employees International Union (SEIU); American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees; American Federation of Teachers; and the National Education Association.
"To show our power and resolve for a better future we came out in the thousands all across the country, hosting over 225 events where we peacefully protested, to show the intergenerational face of those of us prepared to hold the ones who passed this bill accountable every day, and to take action. From spelling out the word 'familia' on the beach in California, taking a Medicaid Motorcade through the state of Indiana, to a rally in D.C. on the National Mall at the seat of power," Poo said.
Here are some highlights from Saturday's day of action.
Washington, D.C.
On the National Mall across from the U.S. Capitol building, organizers capped a 60-hour vigil opposing Medicaid cuts with a rally at 12:00 pm ET.
Jennifer Wells, the director of economic justice at Community Change, spoke at the rally on the important role that Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) played in her life.
"I'm here both as an advocate and organizer and as someone who has lived the realities we're fighting to change, as a person who has been directly shaped by the programs that are currently under attack," Wells said. "I was a Medicaid kid, I was a SNAP kid. These programs kept me and my mom and my brother healthy, alive, and moving forward when we had nothing to fall back on."
Newark, New Jersey
Families gathered in Newark's Military Park to protest the budget cuts.
"Congress is helping the rich get richer while cutting healthcare, education, and support for working families," New Jersey Citizen Action wrote on social media. "We're making sure everyone knows who's responsible. We're fighting for a country where every child is cared for, no one goes hungry, and we all have access to the healthcare we need to live."
Rural Indiana
The Indiana Rural Summit planned a "Motorcade for Medicaid" to drive by rural hospitals across the state.
"We're using the event as a touchpoint to demonstrate the importance and value of local hospitals that are at risk of closing because they have historically relied on Medicaid for financial viability," organizer Michelle Higgs told The Republic. "We want to amplify the voices of those who are impacted, whether they're disabled, have a chronic illness, or are elderly."
Labor on the March
Union members took to the streets from Miami, Florida to Seattle, Washington.
SEIU members marched in cities including Tampa; Orlando; Miami; Washington, D.C.; Allentown, Pennsylvania; New York City, Boston; and Las Vegas. Meanwhile, hundreds of union workers protested in downtown Seattle.
In Connecticut, SEIU members marched to the Brennan Rogers Magnet School, which closed due to a state funding shortfall.
"Cleaners, healthcare workers, construction workers, we are the ones that make this country run and we ask for no special privileges in return. but we are under attack," Ciro Gutierrez, a 32BJSEIU Connecticut commercial member, said.
Reflecting on the day of action, Poo concluded: "All across the country we showed that when our families stick together, we are powerful. When we share our stories, we break through. When we stand side by side—from small towns to big cities—we can't be ignored. And we won't be divided."
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