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Activism See other Activism Articles Title: Protests to mark five years of Camp X-Ray Protests to mark five years of Camp X-Ray MICHAEL SETTLE January 11 2007 To its critics Camp X-Ray is an "abomination", a "gulag of our times" and "a monstrous failure of justice", but to its defenders in the White House it is a necessary tool in the complex struggle against terrorism following America's nightmare of September 11. Today is the fifth anniversary of the first al Qaeda suspect being transported to the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, a slice of Cuba that Washington leased from Havana more than 100 years ago. Before 9/11, the only undesirables held there were illegal refugees from Haiti and Cuba, caught on the high seas as they tried to seek a better life in America. Since 2002, part of it has been turned into a "war on terrorism detainee mission", which still holds around 400 al Qaeda suspects. People's consciences across the globe were seared by images of shackled inmates shuffling along, in orange boilersuits and wearing blindfolds and earmuffs. To mark five years, campaigners from Edinburgh to Tokyo will this morning hold demonstrations. The most poignant protest will be outside the detention camp itself, where a small delegation, which will include Asif Iqbal, 25, a former inmate from the Midlands, and Cindy Sheehan, 49, the American dubbed "peace mom", who lost her soldier son Casey, 24, in Iraq. However, the most graphic is likely to be outside the US embassy in London, where campaigners from Amnesty International (AI) will appear blindfolded, gagged and in orange boilersuits, kneeling in the so-called "stress" position which inmates are allegedly made to adopt for hours on end. Others will be dressed as military guards complete with dogs. Last night, a Liberal Democrat Guantanamo vigil was held outside Downing St and attended by the party's MPs, including their leader Sir Menzies Campbell. Among those present was Kate Allen, AI's UK director, who branded Camp X-Ray, now called Camp Delta an "icon of lawlessness". She said: "Half a decade on, and with not a single person yet found guilty of any offence, it's time for the US to admit that this dangerous experiment with unilateral justice has failed miserably." Much of the controversy over the camp has regarded the inmates' legal standing. In February 2002, George W Bush signed a declaration that no Taliban nor al Qaeda detainees would qualify as prisoners of war, instead they would be regarded as illegal "enemy combatants". This meant inmates would not be afforded the protection of the Geneva Convention, which guarantees a fair trial and bans torture and "outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment". However, the argument in Washington was: "Some of these terrorists who are not recognised as soldiers don't deserve to be treated as soldiers". Allegations made by detainees have included being held in stress positions, denied sleep, photographed naked and forced to endure sexual and religious humiliation. In December 2005, it was alleged prisoners who had gone on hunger-strike were being strapped down and force-fed. Last summer, three inmates were hanged with torn sheets, in apparent suicides. Last week an FBI report catalogued a list of abuses, with at least 26 agency employees saying they witnessed inmates being mistreated and subjected to interrogation. Yet Dick Cheney, the US Vice-President, has insisted that despite their "unlawful combatant" status, inmates at Guantanamo were "still treated with respect and dignity". Last October, he appeared to confirm that suspects were subjected to "water-boarding", an interrogation technique which creates a sensation of drowning. Mr Cheney suggested the US government did not regard it as torture and allowed the CIA to use it. "It's a no-brainer for me," he said. In another defence of the camp, Donald Rumsfeld, former Defence Secretary, said: "As long as there remains a need to keep terrorists from striking again, a (detention) facility will be necessary." In Britain, the government has gradually finessed its position in the face of public and political outrage. At first, Tony Blair simply described the detention camp as "an anomaly", expressing understanding at the hurt and horror felt by Americans following September 11. However, the government has gradually recalibrated its opinion until it argued Camp X-Ray should close. Last autumn Lord Falconer, Lord Chancellor, denounced the camp's continued existence as a "shocking affront to democracy". Having denied any of its inmates the due process of law, this spring and after five years, some will finally be tried before a military tribunal. Yet for many whatever kind of trial emerges it will all be too little, too late; justice delayed, the argument will claim, is justice denied. 755 prisoners held by US military 45 square miles of land and sea at Guantanamo Bay in the south-east corner of Cuba was leased to America in 1903 as a naval fuelling station. It was used by the US Navy to protect and supply ships in the Caribbean as well as to house Cuban and Haitian refugees. Following THE 9/11 attacks, prisoners captured in Afghanistan were transferred to the US camp, part of which officially became "war on terrorism detainee mission". Today marks the fifth anniversary of the first prisoners being transferred there. Originally it was dubbed "Camp X-Ray" because of its bare-bones appearance in which inmates were held in open-sided cage cells. It was later enlarged to become the permanent "Camp Delta". According to human rights campaigners, some 775 people have been held there since 2002 with around 430 still there by the end of 2006. The US military says more than 100 inmates were eligible for release or transfer to other countries after a review panel concluded they posed no threat to US and had no intelligence value. Nine Britons were held and released without charge. Eight UK residents are still detained. 10 detainees were to be tried by military tribunals but this was later ruled unlawful. However, a new law means the tribunals will take place. The US military wants to charge up to 80 prisoners.
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