The notorious Guantanamo Bay is the most controversial symbol of the US war against terrorism and has been termed an ugly stain on America’s global image. The Biden administration has revived efforts to close the detention facility before he leaves office after a review process.
President Obama had promised to close the detention facility within one year after taking office but faced intense political opposition. The US opened the detention centre in 2002 to detain foreign suspects allegedly having links with Al-Qaida or the Taliban. It soon became a source of international criticism and outrage over the mistreatment and torture of prisoners and prolonged detention of inmates many of which have spent nearly two decades without charge or trial.
Now Biden had shown his intention to continue what his former boss could not achieve. His predecessor Trump had kept the facility open and even vowed to “load up with some bad dudes”. There were high expectations from Biden that the US would be a credible and effective voice against human rights abuses. The US has raised concerns over atrocities against Uygurs and Rohingyas but Guantanamo remains a blotch and continues to cast a shadow on US diplomacy.
At its peak, the prison housed 680 inmates including the self-confessed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks Khalid Sheikh Mohammad who had been water-boarded more than 500 times. Biden may have more leeway as there now only 40 prisoners left and Guantanamo draws less public attention today. Still, he is expected to face massive challenges as the detainees cannot be shifted to American soil as they could pose a security risk and efforts will be made to convince other countries to accept them.
Human rights groups have long campaigned for the closure of Guantanamo. For almost two decades, the US has denied justice to hundreds of men detained indefinitely without charge of the trial. And certainly, no one, even a terror, should be brutally tortured or interrogated.
The prison’s continued existence is a reminder of detention practices that opened the United States to accusations of torture. It is unlikely that the curtain on this dark chapter will fall anytime soon due to stymied opposition. It is long past time that this notorious facility is shut down if Biden wants to regains America’s lost status in the world.
