Global Issues: Human Rights and Terrorism: Guantanamo Bay closure abandoned

President Obama has abandoned plans to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay after Congress vetoed bringing terrorist suspects to the US for trial. New trials will now begin at the military complex on Cuba. The Guardian has picked up on the story: Barack Obama abandons Guantánamo closure plan after Congress veto

The article also touches on the fate of detainees such as Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi accused of planning the suicide bombing of the American warship USS Cole in Yemen in 2000, which killed 17 sailors. He is a “high-value detainee” who prosecutors have indicated could become the first to face the death penalty. There are a few references to some of’nasty’ counter-terrorism measures used by the US such as CIA ‘blacksites and torture - thus raising issue of the balance between counter-terrorism measures and human rights.

A few exerpts are:

“Al-Nashiri’s trial is likely to prove controversial because some of the evidence against him is based on his interrogation and torture, including waterboarding, at secret CIA “black sites”, including one in Thailand. CIA tapes of the interrogation were later destroyed reportedly on the orders of the head of the agency’s clandestine operations, José Rodriguez, although no charges were brought.

Al-Nashiri has told military tribunal hearings that he made a series of false statements under torture, through waterboarding and being subject to mock execution with a power drill and a gun, including confessing to the attack on the USS Cole and claiming that Osama Bin Laden has a nuclear bomb.”